


Summer Days

by scarletmanuka



Series: The Centenarian, The Teen, and The One In Between [20]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Diverges after Civil War, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Multi, Not Spider-Man: Homecoming Compliant, OT3, Summer Vacation, The boys deserve a break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-06-30 14:39:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 40,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletmanuka/pseuds/scarletmanuka
Summary: The end of summer has come and the trio get away for two weeks to Tony's cabin in the mountains of Washington State.





	1. The Mile High Club

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sassy_Boo_Bear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sassy_Boo_Bear/gifts).



> Moodboard for this fic can be found [on my Tumblr](https://scarletmanuka1.tumblr.com/image/177158733161)
> 
> I'm definitely using some of Sassy_Boo_Bear's prompts for this one and I'll let you know which each one is in the notes before each chapter. I'm unsure as yet if I'll be using other prompts but if I do and the user has an account, I'll come back and edit to gift the work to them as well :)

Tony watched his lovers carefully as they boarded the plane. Peter had been on the private jet twice before - once on the way to, and then back from Germany - and he seemed much more excited about the prospect of their holiday, dropping down onto one of the plush seats, talking a million miles an hour at Bucky about the things they could do once they got to the cabin. His smile was so wide that Tony was worried that his face might split in two but it warmed his heart to see his young lover so happy. Watching him try to curb his enthusiasm in front of May when they’d picked him up had been adorable and Tony was so glad that now he didn't have to hide it any longer.

Bucky was the one who seemed to be quietly freaking out over the opulence surrounding them. The Tower was one thing but a private jet was entirely another, especially when for most of his life, the soldier had only been on military planes or smuggled into the cargo hold of whichever plane would take him to the destination of Hydra’s latest victim. His stormy grey eyes were wide as he looked around the small but luxurious cabin, and he very gingerly lowered himself into the seat opposite Peter, looking worried that he’d scuff the soft leather if he even looked at it wrong.

Tony helped the co-pilot close up the doors and then he headed back towards his partners. He hated seeing Bucky so uncomfortable and needed to put him at ease. Instead of sitting in one of the seats to either side of the occupied ones, he dropped down onto Bucky’s lap, leaning his back against the firm chest of the super soldier.

“Tony!” Bucky squawked. “What if somebody sees?”

The genius wriggled his hips, grinding himself down on Bucky’s lap and twisted his head to smirk at him. “No one’s gonna see, Buckaroo, because other than the pilot and co-pilot, there’s no one else on this flight but us. I let them know that for such a short flight we wouldn’t be requiring stewards.”

“So who’s going to bring me some peanuts when I’m hungry?” Peter asked, a twinkle in his eye.

Tony huffed, trying to look offended. “I am _perfectly_ capable of bringing you a serving of tasty nuts, Mr Parker.”

“True,”the teen conceded. “I do appreciate your nuts.”

“You don’t have to tell me - I’ve seen the way you roll them around in your mouth, making those hungry little noises.”

Peter shrugged. “I like the way your nuts taste. So sue me.”

Tony opened his mouth but suddenly found a metal hand clamped over it, silencing him. “I do _not_ want to hear another bad nut pun out of either of you for the rest of the trip,” Bucky warned them.

“Aww,” Peter said, pouting. “That’s nut fair.”

Tony laughed against the cool palm, and even though he’d turned back around, he could feel the glare that Bucky was giving Peter, who just grinned impishly in reply. “I am so going to regret coming on this trip,” the soldier lamented.

Tony wriggled his hips once more, pressing his arse against Bucky’s crotch. “I promise you’ll have a good time. How about we kick it off with you joining the mile high club?”

Peter’s eyes lit up. “Can we?” he asked excitedly.

“First of all - we’re still on the ground,” Bucky drawled, “and second - how do you know that I’m not already a member?”

Tony gasped and shuffled around until he was perched sideways on his lover’s thighs, his arms slung around his neck. “Details! I need details! You’ve been holding out on us!”

“I didn't say I _was_ ,” Bucky corrected him, “I was just pointing out that you just _assumed_ that I wasn’t.”

“So tell me then, _are_ you saying that you’re a member?” Tony waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The soldier’s cheeks tinged pink. “Not a _full_ member.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“When we were being deployed, one of the guys freaked out - I guess it suddenly dawned on him what he was signing up for. I found a quiet corner and tried to calm him down and he ended up kissing me. Guess he just needed some human contact.”

“Or he thought you were totally hot and took a chance?” Peter suggested, echoing Tony’s thoughts.

“Did you see him again?” the genius asked, always curious about Bucky’s time before Hydra and away from Captain Spangles. “Maybe you both snuck off for a bit of heavy petting after lights out?”

Bucky sighed sadly and shook his head. “No, he died, only a couple of weeks after we got there. Thinking about it now, I was probably his last kiss.”

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry,” Tony said, hugging him close. “If it makes you feel better, I bet he appreciated you taking the time to give him some comfort.”

Peter reached over the small table and gave their partner’s hand a squeeze. “You okay?”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, ‘course. It was a long time ago - hadn’t really thought about it much since, ya know.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the pilot made an announcement. “ _Good morning, Mr Stark. We’ll be taking off shortly so if you and your guests could make sure you buckle up until I turn off the seatbelt sign, it would be appreciated. Flight time will be just over six hours and the skies look clear between here and Seattle so we’re not expecting any turbulence. If you require anything at all during your flight, please use the in-flight phone to contact the cockpit. Enjoy your flight."_

“Here we go,” Tony said cheerfully, slipping off Bucky’s lap to settle into the seat next to him. He hoped that he could distract Bucky from his sad memories by focusing on the future. “Are we all looking forward to our trip?”

“Man, you have _no_ idea,” Peter said, grinning once more. “I couldn’t sleep last night I was so excited. I just wanted today to hurry up and come. We’re going to have such a good time.”

Tony smiled at his enthusiasm. “We sure are, baby. I can’t wait to get you both properly alone for once.” He finished clipping his seatbelt on and then reached over to give one of the soldier’s muscular thighs a quick grope. “What about you, Buckaroo? Looking forward to it?”

“Of course I am,” Bucky replied. “I actually don’t remember the last time I had a vacation. Actually, unless the camping trip I went on with Steve when we were fourteen counts, I don’t know if I _have_ ever been away on vacation before.”

Tony mock gasped. “Good God, no - sleeping on the ground covered only with a piece of nylon does _not_ count as a vacay. Holy crap, we’re taking your holiday virginity!”

Bucky rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at the genius. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

“Oh, I’m going to make sure it’s _so good_. You deserve only the best, babe.”

“I’ll be with the both of you,” the super soldier said, clasping his flesh hand with Tony’s and reaching across the table with his metal hand to take hold of Peter’s. “We could spend the fortnight in a broom closet and I’d be happy so long as I was spending the time with you both.”

“Well I guarantee that this will be much more fun that time spent in the closet - something that we all have an abundance of experience with.”

“Are the puns and bad metaphors going to continue the entire trip?” Bucky asked morosely.

“Do you really expect anything else from me?” he asked innocently.

His lover sighed. “No, I guess not.”

Across from them, Peter beamed at them. “This is going to be _so much fun!_ ”

~~~~~~~~

“Are you having fun yet?” Tony purred, looking up at Bucky from his place on his knees.

The soldier looked utterly debauched, slumped in the plush seat, his jeans undone and his cock tugged out, hard and flushed and wet at the tip where Tony had been sucking on it. His hair was mussed from the snogging session he’d been partaking in with Peter, who was perched on the arm of the chair, half draped over Bucky, his own pants pulled halfway down his thighs and a drop of pearly pre-come dribbling from the slit. “Christ, Tony, your mouth should come with a warning label,” Bucky said, his voice raw and cracked.

The genius smirked and lowered his face once more so he could suck the glistening head back into his mouth. From the corner of his eye he saw Peter drag Bucky in for another kiss as the soldier’s flesh hand teased up and down the teen’s shaft. Tony had unzippered his own jeans and took the opportunity to stroke himself, never harder than when he was pleasuring his partners. He loved the noises they made, the way they looked when they finally fell apart, absolutely adored the fact that it was all because of _him,_ that he had been the one to bring them so much pleasure. It was the biggest aphrodisiac in his opinion and he loved every minute of it. After only a couple of tugs, he was leaking copious amounts of pre-ejaculate, making his palm glide over the hot skin of his cock so much easier than before.

Bucky had reached up under Peter’s shirt to tweak his nipples, always extra sensitive for the teen and Peter’s breath hitched. Tony paused, recognising the sound as the one their young lover made when close and turned his head so he could watch. Warm brown eyes fell closed and his face scrunched up as he came, his release deftly caught in Bucky’s palm so as not to make a mess. Breathing heavily, he slumped down against Bucky’s shoulder, his eyes, glazed with pleasure, fluttering open, before bringing Bucky’s hand to his lips so he could lick his palm clean of the mess. Tony groaned as he watched Peter consume every last drop, his mouth watering at the sight. Even Bucky looked aroused by the act, and as soon as Peter was done, Tony dropped his head and swallowed Bucky all the way down until his nose was nestled in the neatly trimmed hair. He worked his tongue over the shaft as he bobbed up and down, hollowing out his cheeks as he slid back up, making sure to apply more pressure to the sensitive head. It didn't take long for Bucky to come, flooding Tony’s mouth and throat with salty liquid, and as he swallowed it all down, Tony sped up the movements of his hand, jerking himself almost roughly to completion. He came as he still had his lover’s cock in his mouth and as he shook and shuddered his way through his orgasm, his head bucked forward, shoving Bucky’s cock against the back of his throat once more. The soldier cried out again, before gently pushing Tony back, wincing at the overstimulation and they all took a moment to gather their senses.

“So,” Tony said after a while, “welcome to the Mile High club.”

“Do we have to greet the pilot with a special handshake now?” Peter asked glibly.

“No, but you will automatically be subscribed to our newsletter,” he joked back. Pushing himself to his feet, Tony groaned as his legs protested at being folded under himself for so long and he stretched out before he fixed his clothing so he was somewhat decent. The others were doing the same and he checked his watch for the time. Still three hours of the flight to go. “Is anyone feeling peckish?” he asked. “Do you guys want snacks? You especially, Bucky, since Peter and I just ate.” Bucky groaned, causing Tony to chuckle and he crossed to the stocked bar area at the end of the cabin and grabbed them some sodas and a few bags of nuts. He paused as he was returning to their seats, taking in the sight of Peter and Bucky sharing a sweet kiss and a few loving words. Happiness welled up inside of him and Tony could honestly say that he had never been happier. The next two weeks were without a doubt going to be some of the best of his life.

 


	2. Sasquatch Smash!

Peter rolled his suitcase along as he followed Tony, with Bucky bringing up the rear. They had arrived ten minutes ahead of schedule thanks to the good weather and were now on their way to the rental car office to pick up the car that Tony had organised. He’d told them that it was a four wheel drive Ford truck so they’d have some oomph if they wanted to explore off the beaten path, something that Peter had never done before. He’d spent his entire life living in Queens - unlike Bucky, he’d never even been camping so he really had no idea if heading to the middle of nowhere to hike or explore was something to look forward to or not. He could picture Bucky as the outdoorsy type but the mere thought of Tony traipsing through the woods was laughable. He pictured him in hiking boots, jeans, a flannel shirt, maybe a cap...actually, now that Peter visualised it, it was kinda hot. Though Tony seemed to be able to make _anything_ look good. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad afterall…

The day was bright and sunny, bordering on almost too warm and so the air-conditioned office of the rental car company was a welcome relief. Peter and Bucky took a seat in the waiting area while Tony arranged the pickup. He smiled charmingly at the young lady behind the counter and the teen was sure he heard her panties drop from across the room. She flirted outrageously with the genius as he filled out the paperwork and Peter exchanged a dark look with Bucky. The day that he turned eighteen so they could declare their relationship to the world couldn’t come fast enough. It irked him something bad to not to be able to step in and lay claim to his lover whenever people got too friendly or star struck. Peter was finally feeling confident enough that he didn't have any concerns that Tony would ever actually reciprocate, but it was the principle of the matter.

Finally the process was complete and Tony turned to his partners, keys dangling from his hand and a huge grin on his face. “Shall we get this party started?” he asked.

Jumping to his feet, Peter nodded. “For sure. I can’t wait to get on the road.”

They made their way into the parking lot and located their truck, a dark blue model with a tray on the back that was covered with a hard canopy. They loaded their bags into the back and Tony made a hum of approval when he saw that they’d been provided with a large cooler as he’d requested. “Awesome. Right, we’ll stop in at a mall somewhere along the way and stock up on supplies so we don’t have to hunt and gather food for a couple of days if we don’t want to.”

“We’ll also need snacks for the drive,” Peter chimed in. “Michelle said the best part of a road trip is stuffing your face along the way.”

Bucky frowned. “It’s what, a three hour drive? I wouldn’t count that as a ‘road trip’, would you?”

“Uh, yeah, it totally counts,” Tony said, agreeing with Peter. “We definitely need snacks. Right, let’s go, shall we?”

The truck had a rear seat but none of them felt like sitting in the back alone so Peter climbed up before Bucky so he could sit in the middle at the front. Tony pecked him on the cheek as he turned the engine over and then leaned around him and gestured for Bucky to give him a kiss as well. “You’re so demanding today,” the soldier teased before kissing him.

“You love it,” Tony said.

“Yeah, yeah I do.” Bucky then paused to give Peter a thorough snog before he sat back in his place and Tony pulled out onto the road.

Peter felt like his whole body was vibrating, he was so excited and happy. He had been looking forward to this trip all summer and he couldn’t wait to get to the cabin so they could have some quality time together. Two whole weeks of hanging out with the people he loved most in the world, not having to watch the clock so he’d be home before curfew, being able to take long, leisurely showers together, to give each other blow jobs on the couch without worrying that Vision would drift through a wall, and just to be able to fall asleep together every night - it was going to be sheer bliss.

They headed south and Tony deviated to a city called Kent where they found a Safeway. Tony rummaged through his bag in the back before he locked the car, locating a baseball cap to wear. In his casual clothes and with his goatee not as immaculately groomed as usual (he’d been growing it out for the past week), there was little chance that anyone would recognise him as the billionaire superhero. Despite the warmth of the day, Bucky wore a long sleeved shirt to hide his arm and so hopefully they would all go undetected. Peter was over the age of consent in Washington State but still, they didn’t want to draw undue attention to themselves by being openly affectionate in public, but at least they wouldn’t have to second guess every single move they made in case a rogue paparazzo captured a photo of them at the wrong time.

Peter grabbed a cart as they headed into the Safeway, sending it rolling forward and then jumping onto the bar at the bottom to surf it into the store. He noticed Tony’s eyes light up as they entered, as if this was the promised land, and he wondered when the last time was that his lover had actually been into a grocery store. That suddenly made the situation even more exciting and he immediately turned the cart to lead them away from the vegetable section and towards the much more fun aisles. Bucky let out an audible groan as they arrived at the confectionary aisle and Peter turned to give him an impish grin.

“You know what?” the soldier said, sounding fondly exasperated. “If I come back and find either of you sprawled on the floor in a diabetic coma, I’m leaving you there so the locals can have a good laugh at you.” With that he turned and presumably went off in search of food that had actual nutritional substance.

“Pffft, joke’s on him,” Tony said, “since we have to actually _purchase_ the candy before we eat it. So, what do you want?”

Peter scanned the shelves. “Chocolate is always good but it’ll probably melt in this weather before we get to the cabin.”

“Cooler, remember? Get as much chocolate as you want - ooh, is that Cookies and Cream Hershey’s? Throw in a few blocks of that for me, will you?”

Peter grabbed the bars, adding some plain milk chocolate for himself and some almond bars too, since (as much as he would deny it), Bucky loved those. Tony came back to the cart, arms loaded with goodies, and he dumped them in there. Peter laughed as he saw multiple packets of Nerds. “Trying to tell me something?”

“We’re all giant nerds, and you know it. Plus, they’re yummy.”

“And the Chupa Chups?”

“Mostly to be used as foreplay,” the genius said with a wink. He glanced around and didn't see anyone near so he leaned in closer and whispered, “Do you have any idea of how sexy it is to see those pink lips of yours sucking on a lollipop? It’s so erotic that it should be illegal.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Peter promised, and then with a grin, he pushed the cart off, surfing it down the aisle with Tony following close behind.

They raided the cookie aisle next, loading the cart up with Oreos and granola bars, then hit the bakery section where they added freshly baked muffins, cheese bread, and more cookies. Bucky found them as they were stocking up on potato chips and soda and his face went a little green as he took in the contents of the cart.

Peter and Tony eyed the extra cart that Bucky had gotten with a similar expression. “Oh Lord, are those _vegetables?_ ” Tony asked, aghast.

“Yes, yes they are, Tony,” the super soldier said, frowning at them both. He gestured to their sugary stash. “This might all sound nice now but I guarantee you that by tonight you’ll be craving something with actual substance. I got us some nice steaks for dinner, and I’m gonna make my Ma’s potato salad to go with it.”

“Since when were you the grownup in this relationship?”

“Since I hit the big one oh oh. Now quit your whining, sweetheart. I ain’t saying that we can’t indulge in all of that crap as well - we _are_ on holiday after all - I’m just sayin’ that we need to balance it out with other stuff so we don’t spend the entire two weeks being sick from overindulgence.”

“You’re the best, Bucky Bear!” Tony cried, batting his lashes at him.

“Seconded,” Peter said, grinning at the soldier.

“I know,” Bucky told them. “Now come on, we need to grab some lunch as well before we get back on the road. I’m starving.”

They paid for their groceries and loaded the truck (Peter had to duck back to get some ice for the cooler) and then they grabbed some subs for lunch. Tony had refused to let either of his partners contribute towards the grocery bill so the teen had the super soldier physically restrain Tony so he could pay for their lunch. Tony grumbled about wanting to treat the men he loved but a pointed comment from Bucky about how they’d used his private jet to get here, plus how he’d paid for the hire car, and that even before they’d left, he’d splurged on new luggage for them all made his jaw snap shut. Peter followed it up by saying, “We like to treat _you_ once in a while as well, so please just let us,” and Tony finally gave in, but he couldn’t hide his pleased smile. It made Peter’s heart ache to know that it had been so rare for others to do something nice for Tony that he still wasn’t used to it when Peter or Bucky did something.

Once they’d finished eating, they piled back into the car and headed south once more, towards the mountains. They drove with the windows down, cool air whipping their hair about their faces, and the sun warm on their skin. Tony turned the radio on, flicking through the stations until he found one that played classic pop and rock, crowing in delight as _Thunderstruck_ began to play. He began to sing at the top of his voice, letting go of the steering wheel every now and then to play air guitar. The song finished and was soon followed by _It Must Have Been Love_ by Roxette, and Peter teased Tony by telling Bucky that the song was really old from an equally old movie.

Bucky shrugged. “It’s kinda new to me.”

Every now and then a song would come on that Bucky recognised from the music Tony played back home and the three of them would have a singalong, belting out the tunes as loud as they could. Peter almost squealed when _The Horses_ by Daryl Braithwaite began to play - he’d heard Tony play it a couple of times when he’d thought he was alone, and the genius was always embarrassed to be caught singing along to it while he worked in the lab. He’d admitted to Peter that it was a guilty pleasure and the teen was overjoyed that it had come on the radio. Anything that made Tony happy could never be a bad thing in his mind. He didn’t tease or make any glib comments about the song, just cranked the volume and sang at the top of his lungs, encouraging Tony to do the same.

The time flew by as they drove. Between singing, chatting amongst themselves, and watching the scenery change as they entered the foothills before they climbed higher, two hours had passed before they knew it. Tony pulled over to grab them coffee at a small diner and they gratefully stretched their legs.

“You boys staying in the area or just passing through?” the chirpy waitress asked them as she took their order.

“Just passing through,” Tony told her. “Heading up to a property of mine near Mount St Helens.”

“Hunting lodge?”

“Eh, it used to be when my dad used it but I’m not into killing animals for sport myself. Mostly just to get away from the big smoke for a while.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never taken a liking to it myself either. Fun fact though - did you know that we have a law against shooting Bigfoot here?”

The genius chuckled. “I hadn’t heard that one before, no.”

“Law enforcement take it pretty seriously,” she said with a wink. “Probably a good thing you boys ain’t into hunting.” She finishing swiping Tony’s credit card and handed it back with a smile. “Right then, your drinks will be up in a jiffy.”

Tony thanked her and they waited out of the way of the other customers. “You know,” Bucky said, a pensive expression on his face, “I never believed in Bigfoot but after everything I’ve been through, and hearing about aliens invading New York, maybe I should reconsider?”

“That would be so cool if we saw him!” Peter said wistfully.

“As Stephen is always telling me, nothing is outside the realm of possibility,” Tony said.

“Maybe he’s just a hairy version of the Hulk?” Peter mused. “Like, he got caught up in a lab accident like Doctor Banner did and he only transforms every now and then which is why he’s not sighted very often.”

Tony laughed. “That’s actually pretty plausible.”

“If we _do_ see him, we should totally ask him to become an Avenger.”

“Sure thing, Petey, whatever makes you happy.”

Peter beamed at him while Bucky chuckled and as soon as their drinks were ready, they thanked the waitress and headed back to the truck. They were well into the mountains by now and despite the warmth of summer, there was still snow on the highest peaks and the vegetation was much greener than it had been down on the flats. Moss grew heavy on the towering tree trunks and the air was crisp and fresh. Peter took a deep breath, and relaxed back against the seat, resting a hand on each of his partner’s thighs as he enjoyed the last leg of the journey.

It was a little after three in the afternoon when Tony pulled off the main highway and after a few more turns, pulled into a wide driveway. A gate was pulled across and Bucky got out to unlatch it, before getting back in the truck after Tony had driven through. The cabin was set far back from the road, so they drove for another five minutes before it came into sight. Tony pulled up in front of it and Peter just stared in awe.

It was rustic, and gorgeous, and utterly _perfect_. This holiday was going to be _awesome._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've spent a little time in Washington State and Canada so I've tried to remember as best I can what all the American names and terms are (I couldn't for the life of me remember what they call an esky) but please forgive me if I've missed a few. Hopefully it'll make sense in context but if it doesn't, please let me know!


	3. Domestic Bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fucking shit, this chapter is the sappiest, most domestic fluff I have ever written. I hope it doesn't give you all diabetes :/

Bucky eyed the cabin as he got out of the car. It wasn’t... _quite_ what he was expecting. Tony had explained that his family had always called it The Cabin, even though it was much larger than a cabin had any right to be. In his mind, the soldier was picturing something along the lines of the mansion in Malibu that he’d seen photos of (before Tony had publically dared a terrorist organisation to drop round for a visit - Christ, if Bucky had known him then, he would have kicked his arse so bad for that). He expected massive and showy, and if he was being particularly honest - ugly. Instead, the building looked exactly like a cabin should - just three or four times bigger. Really, it was just a large house, but it was built of logs (proper, honest to God entire _trees_ which Bucky had never actually seen in real life before, only in movies), there was moss growing over the shale roof tiles, and a large, welcoming porch lined the front. It looked homey and inviting and the perfect place to spend a relaxing vacation with just the three of them.

They grabbed their luggage from the back of the truck but left the groceries for now, and Peter and Bucky followed Tony up the steps to the front door. “When was the last time you were here?” the soldier asked as Tony fished the key from his back pocket.

“Hmmm.” Tony’s brow furrowed adorably as he thought, tapping the key against his bottom lip. “I think it was maybe a couple of years before the whole Iron Man thing happened. Obie was pushing me for some upgrades to our latest killing machine that the Air Force had ordered and I’d worked for about eight days straight with hardly any food or sleep and was on the verge of collapse. Rhodey came marching into the lab, dragged me outta there, kicking and screaming, and brought me here and then didn’t let me leave for almost a month. Obie and Pepper were freaking out, since Rhodey had taken my phone and wouldn’t let them talk to me, just kept telling them that I needed a proper break otherwise I was going to work myself into an early grave. He used up all his holiday leave that year to babysit my stupid arse and it made me love him even more.” He smiled at the memory, slightly bittersweet and Bucky knew it was because of his memories of his old mentor who had betrayed him.

“Remind me to buy Rhodes a beer when we get back home,” Bucky said, grateful that the man had always kept watch over the genius.

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. Right, let me give you the grand tour,” Tony said, pushing the door open and leading them inside. “I had a cleaning crew come in so the place shouldn’t be too dusty.”

Bucky and Peter filed in after him and propped their luggage against the wall next to the door before turning to take in the interior of the cabin. It was single story but the roof was peaked over the main living area, making it feel extra spacious, helped by the fact that it was one big room. You could see directly from the front door all the way to the rear sliding door, the only thing in the way being a solidly built dining table so the occupants could sit and eat with a view over the lake. To the left was a sunken lounge, comfortable furniture and plush rugs surrounding a stone fireplace, welcome and inviting, with an opening leading to a hallway to the right of the fireplace. Directly to the right of the front door was a coat closet and another hallway and then a large, country style kitchen with an island bench offering some separation from the dining area.

“Living areas,” Tony said with a broad sweep of his arm that encompassed the whole space.

Peter dashed across the room to the rear sliding door and he stared outside in awe. Bucky joined him, taking in the view. The decking was expansive, with a comfortable entertaining area, barbeque, and outdoor setting. It expanded out over the lake itself and to the left, stairs led down to a wooden pier, at the end of which was a small boathouse. Woods surrounded the lake and in the distance rose the majestic peak of Mount St Helens, the rumbling giant.

“You weren’t affected by the eruption?” Bucky asked over his shoulder to Tony who was checking that the refrigerator was on.

“Nah, we were lucky to be too far south to be in harm's way,” the genius replied. “We can head up there while we’re here if you’re interested in learning more,” he suggested, closing the fridge door and coming to join them.

“Really?” Peter asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

“‘course we can, baby,” Tony assured him. “We can do whatever you want.”

“That’s so awesome.”

“Okay, so I’ll show you to where we’ll be sleeping,” Tony said. “So, that hallway there -” he pointed to the exit off the lounge, “- leads to the master bedroom and the study. I haven’t remodeled or anything since I was a kid so I’m gonna put us in my old room instead of down there. The idea of sleeping in dad’s old bed just makes me queasy.” He shuddered and then led them back through the main room and to the hallway that went to the opposite end of the house. “There are another two bedrooms in case you guys don’t all want to stay in the one room,” he said over his shoulder as he led them down the hall.

Peter frowned. “Why would we want to sleep separately?” he asked, echoing the soldier’s thoughts.

“I dunno,” Tony said, shrugging. “I just didn't want to make assumptions, but that’s more than fine. We’ll be in here then.” He showed them into a spacious room with a large bay window that overlooked the lake and volcano. “The bed’s only a queen but I’m sure we’ll manage.”

“It’s lovely, Tony,” Bucky assured him. He wheeled his suitcase in and placed it against the wall and then pulled the genius into a hug, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Thank you for bringing us here, I can already tell we’re going to have a wonderful time.”

“I really hope so,” Tony said, wistfully.

“Of course we’re going to,” Peter said, throwing his arms around them both and squeezing them tightly.

Tony laughed. “It’ll help if you don’t break our ribs, Petey.”

“Pfff, it’s not a proper hug without a few bruised ribs,” Bucky joked. “Okay, I’m going to go and bring in the groceries, back soon.” He waved off Peter’s offer to help and headed back out to the truck, taking a moment to inhale deeply the mountain air. He was already feeling more relaxed than he could ever remember being and he walked with a bounce in his step. If someone had told Bucky that he’d be feeling this good a year ago, he would have laughed in their faces. It was a state of mind that he had never even hoped that he could achieve but here he was, happy, content, and _loved_ and he felt like a million bucks.

He collected the bags first, running them inside and placing them on the island bench before returning for the cooler. His muscles flexed as he lifted the heavy container, the partially melted ice inside sloshing around as he carried it inside. He placed it on the kitchen floor and quickly unpacked the items, placing them in the refrigerator, grinning as he found the stash of almond chocolate that he knew his lovers had picked out for him since neither was that fond of it. He may have been the mother hen, making sure that they had some fresh vegetables and proper food for their stay but his sweet tooth could rival even Peter’s.  

He was just finishing unpacking the rest of the groceries when Tony and Peter joined him once more. “I unpacked your suitcase for you,” Peter told him, leaning up on his tiptoes to kiss the soldier’s cheek. “You and I are sharing the chest of drawers and I’ve popped all of your stuff in the top two and I have the bottom two.”

“Thanks, doll, you didn’t have to.”

Peter shrugged. “You were doing this so it was only fair.”

“What do you two want to do for the rest of the afternoon?” Tony asked.

“Can we explore outside a bit?” Peter asked.

“I like that idea,” Bucky said. “It’s too nice a day to spend it indoors. First though I gotta boil the potatoes so they cool down enough to make the salad.”

“By all means, don’t neglect the potatoes, Nigella,” Tony teased. “There’s a trail around the lake,” he then added. “If I recall correctly it takes about an hour to make the loop around the whole lake, maybe a little longer. We can do that if you both want. ”

It didn’t take long for Bucky to boil the potatoes and then they headed outside and Tony led them down the stairs to the side of the decking and across a manicured lawn. He explained that as well as regular cleaners, he had a garden maintenance company come in once a month for upkeep. “I know I don’t use the place often but there’s a handful of Rhodey’s Air Force buddies who come out a few times a year and use the place, plus Pepper sometimes comes for a weekend with her girlfriends so I like to keep it maintained for them.”

“Kinda expensive for you when you don’t actually ever see the benefit yourself,” Bucky mused. It didn’t surprise him at all that Tony would go to so much trouble to keep a place that only other people enjoyed the use of.

Tony shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m using it now, aren’t I? If you both like it here, we can come more often if you want, so it’s a good thing I hung onto her.”

They left the lawn behind as they took the path that meandered around the lake. It wasn’t overly wide but it was wide enough that the three of them could walk side by side, only having to break formation every now and then to avoid a low hanging branch. The woods were dense but the thick canopy overhead let very little light filter through so there was little undergrowth and the trunks were covered in moss, bathing everything in a faintly green light. Birds sang to one another from the trees and every now and then they would come across deer tracks or hear the rustle of a squirrel. Bucky felt quite a home in these surroundings, having spent a large amount of time with Hydra in woods very similar to these, surveilling and hunting his prey. Tony looked more comfortable than the soldier would have thought, seeming just as much at ease here in nature as he was at a charity gala or in his workshop. It was Peter who was out of his comfort zone, needing to keep his eyes glued to the ground to avoid stumbling, though his natural grace saved him the few times he did trip on a root or a rock and he righted himself quickly.

They spoke of inconsequential things as they walked, just idle chit chat and banter, but often they fell into spells of comfortable silence, just enjoying the scenery. At times the path ran right along the edge of the lake, giving them a spectacular view, and at other times it was far enough back that they only glimpsed the crystal blue waters through the trees. At one point after they’d had to go down to single file to avoid a fallen log, Bucky ended up in the middle as they fanned out again and he reached out and clasped both his lovers’ hands in his. It was a simple gesture, chaste and innocent but he felt daring doing it, knowing that they weren’t in the safety of the Tower. Not that there was any chance that they would be seen out here, but it sent a small thrill through his body nonetheless. It also made him stupidly, utterly, crazily happy and he knew that he must be grinning like a madman. He didn’t care though because he was with the two men he loved most in the world and there was no where else he would rather be.

It took them just a little over an hour to arrive back at the cabin and they decided that they were all starving. It was only just after five but with the time difference back to New York, it was definitely dinner time. “I’ll fire up the grill,” Tony said, “and get the steaks cooking.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart. I’ll finish up the potato salad.”

“What can I do to help?” Peter asked.

“I got some ingredients for a green salad if you wanna throw one together.” Bucky suggested.

The next forty minutes or so were some of the most domestic of Bucky’s life. He worked side by side with Peter in the kitchen, and once they were done they took the salads and plates and cutlery outside to the outdoor setting on the deck and sat and chatted with Tony while he cooked the steaks. Once the meat was plated, he ducked back inside and grabbed Tony a non-alcoholic beer and a cider for Peter and himself. They were all grinning as they sat down to eat, tucking into the food with gusto.

“I gotta say,” Tony said, his bottle paused at his lips as his eyes swept over the woods and lake and then over his partners, “that this has got to have been one of the best ideas that I’ve ever had.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Bucky said, lifting his own bottle.

“Actually, that’s a good idea,” the genius said. “We need to make a toast. To us, three semi-broken men who somehow manage to fit together to form a whole.”

“To us,” Bucky said, chinking his bottle against Tony’s and then against Peter’s.

“To us,” Peter repeated. “Love you both so much.”

“Love you too, baby,” Tony said.

“Always, doll,” Bucky added.

They shared a smile and then continued eating, relaxing back in their chairs as they watched the afternoon sun make its way low over the horizon. Bucky and Peter cleared away the dishes and Tony fetched them more drinks and even later they broke out the chocolate, enjoying the simple dessert as they watched the sun finally dip below the horizon. As darkness fell, Peter couldn’t stop a massive yawn, his third in the space of two minutes.

“I think that’s our cue to head to bed,” Tony said, watching the teen fondly. He stood up and held out his hands, and Bucky and Peter took one each, allowing themselves to be led to the bedroom. They undressed and the two older men guided Peter to the centre of the bed, and then they flanked him, cuddling up close to either side, and before anyone knew it, they were asleep.


	4. Playtime

Tony woke before the others, even here running on less sleep than them. With Bucky’s super soldier serum, he could go almost a week with no sleep and still be effective but when there was no mission and no need, he enjoyed his sleep. Peter was a typical teenager in that regard, and it was always hard to turf him out of bed in the mornings, but luckily there was no need for that here and he could sleep as long as he wanted.

It had felt so good to fall asleep with both of them last night and a feeling of such peace had descended upon Tony that he was actually a little worried that Pepper had been slipping kale or some other hippie junk into his coffee and had broken his brain. He’d fallen asleep so easily with Peter’s back tucked against his chest and Bucky’s arm slung over both of their waists, feeling completely safe even though here he didn’t have Friday to look over him. He had seriously considered bringing a portable server and setting her up but had ultimately decided against it. Not only would it have taken too much time, but, as much as he loved her, Friday was another way that the outside world could contact them. They had their phones and Rhodey had promised that if something came up that Stephen, Lang, van Dyne, and himself couldn't handle, then he’d call but otherwise he didn’t want to make it easy for people to get hold of them. There always seemed to be someone who thought their petty problem was earth shattering and came running for help but for the next fortnight, Tony wanted to concentrate on nothing but his lovers and relaxing with them.

He and Bucky had woken only a couple of hours after going to bed when Peter started talking in his sleep and they’d shared dopey smiles in the dark as they listened to him. It might be a habit that some people found annoying but neither he nor the soldier did. It was something that was uniquely  _ theirs _ , an idiosyncrasy that belonged only to their three-way relationship - the two older men watching over the teen as he slept and bonding over how damn adorable Peter was, and although Peter never remembered it the next day, he was at the heart of it. 

Once Peter had talked himself out, Tony had fallen back asleep and had slept through until morning and now he had the unfettered joy of an entire day with only his partners for company ahead of him. He slipped out of bed as silently as he could and made his way down the hall to the bathroom so he could shower before he made a start on breakfast. Bucky was up and waiting his turn when he finished and they shared a sweet good morning kiss before Tony headed to the kitchen and the soldier went for his own shower. 

During their grocery shop, Bucky had made sure to buy eggs and so Tony decided that vegetable omelettes would be well within his rather limited cooking abilities. He hummed quietly to himself as he worked, not even worrying when all three attempts to fold the omelettes failed spectacularly and they broke apart. Soon strong arms were wrapping around his waist and he twisted his neck so he could press a kiss to Bucky’s cheek, scratchy with stubble and the soldier’s hair still damp and smelling of shampoo. 

“Smells good,” Bucky murmured.

“Thanks, I just hope they taste okay. Was Peter showing any signs of waking up? I’m wondering if I should put his in the oven to keep warm until he’s up.”

There was a slightly incoherent noise from behind and they both turned to see the teen shuffling into the kitchen, still half asleep. He rubbed at his eyes as he fell onto a stool at the island bench and said, “‘m up.”

“Up but I’m not sure about awake,” Bucky teased, crossing to give the teen his own morning kiss.

“Awake enough to smell food,” Peter told him. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Tony made omelettes.”

“Oooh, I love omelettes!”

Tony grimaced. “I think they’re closer to scrambled eggs with vegetables in them now.”

“Eh, once you’ve chewed up an omelette you essentially just have scrambled eggs anyway,” Peter said, much too philosophically for only having been awake for five minutes.

Laughing, Tony handed one of the plates to Peter and then dropped a kiss to his tousled locks. “So long as you like them, I don’t care what we call them.”

The food was actually quite good and they ate at the dining table, enjoying the view of the morning sun sparkling on the lake. It was promising to be a glorious day, even though it had gotten a little chilly overnight. Tony and Bucky lingered at the table over a second cup of coffee but Peter excused himself, heading off to shower. It wasn’t much later that he was calling out to them and both men stood to go and see what he needed.

“I left my toiletry bag in the drawer and I need my shower gel - could you guys please get it for me?” the teen asked over the sound of the shower.

“Sure thing, baby,” Tony agreed and headed into the bedroom to find it. Bucky sat on the edge of the bed as the genius rummaged in the drawer, pulling out a rather large toiletry bag. “I didn’t know the kid needed more products than me,” Tony said with a grunt as he lifted it out. He unzippered the bag and stared in shock at the contents.

“What is it?” Bucky asked, noticing that he’d frozen.

“This most definitely does  _ not _ contain shower gel,” Tony said in awe.

Bucky frowned. “Whaddya mean?”

“I mean,” Tony said, walking forward and tipping the contents onto the bed, “that this actually contains the contents of Santa’s toy sack for the people on the naughty list.”

Bucky’s eyes widened as he took in the numerous sex toys that were now piled on top of the blankets. There was a large dildo, several butt plugs of varying sizes, a slim, mauve vibrator, two adjustable cock rings, a vibrating cock ring, a prostate massager, and several lengths of silken rope. “Oh.”

Tony headed back to the set of drawers and looked thoroughly through them, but couldn’t find an actual toiletry bag. “I think we’ve been had, babe,” he announced and walked back over to sink down onto the bed next to his lover. “Our baby boy  _ wanted _ us to find his secret stash of sex toys.”

“Why would he do that?” Bucky asked, innocent confusion on his face.

Tony laughed. “Because he’s a little shit? Probably to drive us absolutely crazy if I had to guess.”

“Is it working?” a voice asked from above.

Tony absolutely did  _ not _ shriek like an old woman as he looked up to see Peter clinging to the ceiling above them. A very  _ naked _ Peter. Who then proceeded to let go and drop down onto the bed, bouncing slightly and sending both the older men, and the plethora of sex toys tipping backwards towards him. “Jesus Christ, Petey, are you  _ trying _ to kill me?” he demanded, but couldn’t help but get more comfortable and reach out to trail a hand up the soft, smooth skin of the teen’s stomach. “I’m an old man now, you shouldn’t sneak up on me like that,” he chided.

“Some superheroes you both are,” Peter teased. “Did neither of you hear the shower turn off?”

“No, because we were too distracted by the fact that you bought along an entire sex store’s worth of toys with you!”

“Better not let that get out,” Peter warned. “If any of the bad guys find out that that’s how easy it is to distract you, it’ll be raining dildos at every battle.”

Tony snorted. “Man, sounds like something Loki would do. That fucker might have thrown me out of a window but damn, he was a cocky bastard. Kinda miss that sort of banter with our villains. They’re so second rate now.” 

“Instead of listening to you get a hard on for Loki, can we please concentrate on the hard ons that Peter and I are sporting?” Bucky asked plaintively, gesturing to the tent he was pitching.

“Yeah, no drooling over a literal god when we're in the bedroom, please,” Peter added dryly. “I already worry enough as it is about how I’m not good enough for you both.”

The teen played it off a joke but Tony knew that with his recent struggles with feelings of jealousy and insecurity, it was closer to the truth than he’d like his partners to believe. “Petey, baby, how can you even  _ think _ that anyone else, even a freaking Asgardian, could  _ ever _ compare with you? I mean,  _ look _ at you? You’re perfect for us.” He looked to Bucky and wordless communication passed between them. The soldier quickly shed his clothing and then sat back against the headrest. Tony gently pushed Peter until he was moving between the V of Bucky’s spread legs and reclining against his chest. “We’re going to show you just how much we think that you’re perfect for us, Petey, and I think we’re going to use all of these toys you brought along.” He paused, allowing a mischievous smirk to linger on his lips before he added, “Every. Single. One.”

Peter gulped and his eyes grew wide as the implications suddenly dawned on him. His gaze flickered between his lover and the small pile of toys but Tony didn’t move, not until Peter nodded, giving his consent. Bucky grinned at Tony and then nipped playfully at the teen’s earlobe. “You think you can handle that, doll?”

Peter had to swallow several times before he could reply and with a shaky voice he said, “Yes, oh fuck, yes.”

The genius picked up one of the smaller butt plugs and twirled it in his fingers. “I think we’ll start off with this one.”

The rather tame plug slid easily inside their young lover and Tony didn't waste much time on it, simply taking advantage of the stimulation to get Peter rock hard. Once he was, Tony hummed happily as he picked up one of the adjustable cock rings, specifically the one that had two loops - one to sit snugly around the base of Peter’s cock and the other to loop around his balls. They had sex regularly enough that Peter could withhold from orgasming too quickly, and although the ring wouldn’t prevent him from coming entirely, it would make him better able to withstand the increased sensations of the toys. He slipped it in place and used the silicone beads to draw it firm and then he moved onto the next sized plug up.

By the time Tony was easily fucking Peter with the plug, the teen had started to writhe against Bucky, his cock leaking a steady stream onto his stomach. The super soldier  _ tsked _ and quickly secured Peter's wrists with the lengths of rope and then held him firmly in place, stopping his hips from bucking as he tried to rub himself against any part of Tony that he could reach.

“Shhh, you’re doing so good for us, baby,” Tony cooed as he left the plug in place so he could lube up the prostate massager. Once he was done, he removed the large plug and immediately slid home the massager. He thrust it rhythmically in and out of Peter, gradually increasing the sensitivity of his hidden little pleasure gland, and Tony grinned as Peter became more and more vocal, crying out and moaning wantonly. Tony caught Bucky’s eye and tilted his head towards the vibrator and the soldier nodded with a gleeful little smile before he picked it up and flicked it on. A quiet buzz filled the room but when he pressed it gently against one of Peter’s nipples, the teen’s cries of pleasure drowned it out.

They stayed that way for the next quarter of an hour, with Tony using the massager and Bucky the vibrator, until Peter was almost sobbing, begging them to let him come. “I don’t think so,” Tony told him. “Not just yet. I’ve not finished with your extensive little collection as yet.” He pursed his lips. “That reminds me - I was going to ask when you started collecting them all? How long have you been keeping these a secret from us, baby?”

Peter’s face was flushed and his eyes were almost black, his pupils were so dilated. “Birthday money from May,” he choked out. “Ahhhh!” he cried as Tony thrust the toy inside him a little more forcefully. 

“That wouldn't have been enough for all of these.”

“Looked after the neighbour’s cat while she was in hospital,” the teen rasped. “She insisted on paying me.”

“Mrs Travers? My, my...does she know what you spent the money on?” Tony asked, not really expecting a reply. “I wonder what she’d think if she knew, that sweet little Peter Parker was  _ such a naughty little boy _ .”

“Please, Tony, please, I need you, need Bucky, please,” Peter whimpered.

“Sorry, doll,” Bucky said, wiping a bead of sweat from Peter’s forehead and kissing his cheek before reaching out to pick up the dildo, “but he’s still gotta fuck you with this before you get either of us.”

Taking pity on the mewling teen, Tony slid the prostate massager out so he could move onto the final toy. The dildo was about the same size as he was, flesh toned with realistic looking veins on it, and after it was lubed up, it slipped easily inside. Peter cried out, pre-come pulsing from the tip of his flushed cock, and he sounded so damn perfect that the genius knew that he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer. He leaned over Peter and kissed him sweetly before capturing Bucky’s mouth as well, loving the way his partners both tasted as he lazily fucked the dildo in and out of Peter’s arse.

All three of them were getting rather desperate by the time Tony stopped. “Would you like the first honours?” he asked Bucky politely.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” the soldier agreed and Tony climbed up off the bed so he could finally undress, watching as Bucky didn’t bother to get up, just hefted Peter up and guided him over until he was sinking down onto his cock. 

They both moaned loudly as Bucky bottomed out but he didn't give Peter any time to adjust, just lifted the teen and then slammed him back down, the muscles in his arms flexing as he lifted him. Tony watched, entranced, as Bucky used Peter as a human-sized fleshlight, pulling Peter down as he thrust up, over and over until he grunted, his eyes falling closed as he came deep inside. “God damn, you two are so fucking hot together,” he whispered reverently.

“You ready for him,” Bucky asked, keeping hold of Peter on his lap. “Don’t wanna pull out and make a mess - would rather keep it all inside for you.”

It was Tony’s turn to moan at that, loving the idea of Bucky’s come slicking his way. He quickly slid the vibrating cock ring around his dick and then flicked it on, shuddering a little at the feeling but knowing it would be even better for Peter. He nodded when he was ready and Bucky lifted the teen while Tony hooked his arms under Peter’s knees and tugged him down the bed so he was back to laying between the super soldier’s legs. Peter went willingly, almost boneless with pleasure, melting back against Bucky. Tony quickly pushed inside, causing some of Bucky’s come to spill out over Peter’s creamy thighs and the teen gasped as the cock ring nestled itself against his perineum and balls, and his back arched. 

“You like that, baby?” Tony whispered hotly against Peter’s ear. “Am I making you feel good? You’re  _ ours _ , Petey, we don’t want anyone else but you; you’re just too damn perfect for us. I don’t want you to ever forget that, okay? Ours, baby, all ours.”

Peter nodded, tears spilling over his cheeks as he stared up at Tony with his big doe eyes, and Bucky hugged him tightly from behind, so he was sandwiched between the two older men. Tony was overwhelmed with just how much he loved both of his partners, and he couldn’t even imagine ever being with anyone else now. His playboy days had been well and truly behind him since his time with Pepper but even then, he had a gut feeling that it wouldn’t last, that he would ruin things somehow. Now, he couldn’t think of the future without seeing Peter and Bucky by his side, and he knew without a doubt that they would always forgive him, no matter what he did, that they would never leave him for a mistake, but would stay by his side and help him fix it. This was his forever, his always, his true love, and damn, did it feel amazing to finally have that.

Before he could get any more lost in his head, Peter clenched his muscles tightly around Tony, and even with the firm ring around him, his orgasm washed over him. Tony cried out and buried his face against Peter’s neck as he spilled inside of the teen, quickly pulling out so he could turn off the vibration before he because oversensitive.

Peter keened at the sudden emptiness and so Tony scrambled to find the dildo, pushing it inside at the same time as Bucky wrapped his flesh hand around Peter's shaft and began to pump him firmly. Peter struggled weakly against the ropes securing his wrists together but if he genuinely wanted to get free or not they would never know as it was at that moment that he came. A scream tore from his lips, and his entire body spasmed as white ropes of come shot over his torso, even managing to paint his chin. When he was finally empty, he slumped back against Bucky, and for a split second Tony was worried that he’d actually passed out from the force of his orgasm, but then Peter’s eyelashes fluttered and he gazed adoringly up at Tony. “Never want to be anyone else’s,” he murmured, then his eyes closed and he was suddenly asleep.

Tony looked over to Bucky, his eyes wide and his heart beating wildly in his chest. “How the fuck did we get so lucky?” he asked, dazed.

Bucky shook his head. “I have no idea but I’m so happy that we did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edge, I hope you recognised a part of your 'bedtime' prompt from a while back that I never got to use in Bedtime Stories ;-) Hope you liked it!


	5. Smarter Than The Average Bear

“Do either of you want to fish while you’re here?” Tony asked, glancing back over his shoulder as he led Peter and Bucky down the pier to the boathouse.

“Erm...if you do?” Peter said, wondering if it was an activity that his partner enjoyed. The teen couldn’t really think of anything worse if he was honest - besides, he didn't even really _like_ fish all that much, but his desire to do anything to make Tony happy had never dimmed, even after being with him for nine months now.

“Christ, no,” Bucky said, not beating around the bush.

“Good,” Tony said happily, “because I fucking _hate_ it. Dad used to drag me out every now and then to fish with whatever business tycoon he’d bought along with us to wheel and deal but I never enjoyed it.” He pulled a small keychain out from his pocket and unlocked the heavy padlock and then heaved apart the double doors, sliding them open. “It’s not as flash or as romantic as the boathouse from _Maurice_ but it does the job,” he told them, gesturing around the dim room as he fumbled for a light switch.

The three had watched that particular movie several months ago and if Peter was not mistaken, this most definitely _was_ bigger than the boathouse from the film. It housed numerous craft, the biggest of which was a centre console boat that looked much too large for the small lake, though he supposed Tony’s dad could have put it on a trailer and towed it to one of the larger lakes in the area. Behind that craft was a dinghy and hanging on hoists from the ceiling were several canoes and kayaks. The rest of the room was rather utilitarian, with several workbenches with tools neatly arranged above them, but Peter was certain that they could definitely use the space for something as sexy and romantic as the famous scene in _Maurice_ if they really wanted.

“So, I’m thinking we just take out one of the canoes today,” Tony told them. “I don’t really want to fire up that monstrosity unless I have to -” he pointed to the centre console, “- and a canoe is nicer than a dinghy for a leisurely afternoon spent on the lake.”

“Sounds good, sugar,” Bucky said and helped Tony winch down one of the hoists while Peter opened the door above the lake.

It didn't take them long to get the canoe into the water and Peter agilely leapt into it, settling himself down on the middle seat. Bucky climbed into the front with one of the oars and Tony sat at the rear with the other and then he was pushing them away from the pier and they were floating out through the exit of the boathouse into the brightness of the afternoon.

The sun was high overhead, though it wasn’t as warm as the previous day, and once they were out on the open water away from the shore, a breeze picked up, sending goosebumps rippling up the teen’s arms. The water was a shade of turquoise that Peter had never seen before for himself in nature, and it was startlingly clear. He could see fish swimming far below them, looking distorted by the depth and completely unconcerned by the craft gliding through the water above them. He couldn't wait for a warmer day so they could go swimming, maybe even snorkeling, and he just hoped that it would even be warm enough for Tony to join them without triggering a flashback or a panic attack.

“We heading anywhere in particular?” Bucky called back to Tony.

“Nah, just exploring,” the genius told him. “Just point her wherever takes your fancy, or we can just stop and float for a bit.”

The ex-assassin decided he wanted to explore and so they paddled almost over to the edge of the lake and then they began to slowly make their way around it, the shoreline gliding slowly past on their left. They were all quiet, relaxed and lost to their own thoughts, the only sound being the faint splash as an oar dipped beneath the surface. A small movement in the trees caught Peter’s eye and he pointed silently so the others could see the two deer that had made their way down to the edge of the lake to drink. The teen couldn’t help but grin since the only wildlife he ever saw in New York were pigeons and the odd squirrel. Both Bucky and Tony froze, the oars resting on the edge of the canoe so they wouldn’t frighten the does and they were luckily far enough away that the animals finished their drink and left without being startled.

“Holy crap, that was _so cool_!” Peter gushed once they were gone. “Tony, I can’t believe you get deer on your property!” He knew that he was probably overreacting to seeing the deer and once upon a time he would have been mortified at showing such childish enthusiasm in front of the older men, but now he had no qualms. He knew that both of his partners adored that trait in him and that it wasn’t something to be embarrassed about.

“Baby, there’s a _lot_ more than just deer around here,” Tony said from behind as he and Bucky began to paddle once more, “though I’m not sure if you’d want to come across some of the other things that live here.”

“Cougars?” Bucky asked.

“Sometimes, plus I’ve seen bears a few times as well. Considering I didn't come here that often, and probably saw them maybe half of the times that I was here, I’d say that they’re pretty active in the area.”

“Bears?” Peter asked, his voice an octave higher than usual. “Like Yogi?”

Tony laughed. “Not quite - these are black bears so smaller but still dangerous.”

He gulped, and his eyes scanned the shore, looking for danger. Peter had been so caught up in the beauty of the mountains and the woods that he’d not actually considered that there might be things out there that would think of him as a tasty snack.

“Don’t worry, doll,” Bucky assured him, “I’ll protect you.”

“I think I’ll just wear my web shooters at all times and pull myself into a tree if I see a bear,” he said, his voice a little shaky.

“Uh, about that, Petey…” Tony said, and the teen could hear the amusement in his voice.

Peter twisted around so he could glare at Tony. “What about that?” he demanded.

“Ah, bears can climb trees, you know.”

“ _What?_ No, no I _didn’t_ know that, Tony! What the fuck? What are you supposed to do then if you see a bear?”

“Well, try and keep calm firstly, baby - usually they’re just passing through and don’t care much for you.”

“Unless you’ve been using that fruity shower gel you like so much,” Bucky quipped and when Peter turned his glare on the soldier, he could see him trying not to laugh. “What?” Bucky asked, innocently. “You _do_ smell like berries!”

Peter frowned and lifted his arm to his face to sniff at his skin. He’d showered again after their romp that morning and yes, that was definitely berries that he smelled of. “Fuck! I’m going to get eaten!”

“You could always try offering them a sandwich,” Bucky told him. “Apparently they love pic-a-nics.”

“I hate you,” Peter told him, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his nose up at the super soldier. “If we see any bears at all, I’m feeding _you_ to them.”

“I’m too old and chewy for them, doll, but _you_ on the other hand are young and tender. I think they’ll definitely want to eat you.”

“I’m fast, I’ll just outrun them.”

“You might not get a choice,” Bucky said solemnly. “Black bears can run as fast as thirty miles an hour and they’re in their own environment whereas you’re out of your element, so they’ll probably catch you.”

“It kinda sounds like you _want_ me to be eaten,” the teen accused.

Bucky kept a straight face as he said, “Of course I don’t want you to be eaten, doll, but we’ve got to face facts - if it comes down to a fight between you and a bear, the bear is going to win. Try not to struggle too much - you’ll only give the bear indigestion. Just accept your fate, sugar and take solace in the fact that you'll be contributing to the circle of life.”

“ _I_ _don’t want to be eaten at all!_ ” Peter cried.

“Petey, calm down, “ Tony said, pulling the oar across the canoe to rest it there so he could lean forward and rub soothing circles on his back. “No one is gonna get eaten by a bear.”

“But if they do, it’ll be you,” Bucky chimed in.

“Bucky!” Tony said warningly, but Peter could still hear the amusement in his voice. “Stop teasing him.

“I’m just being practical,” Bucky insisted, his eyes twinkling.

“You know what? As soon as I’ve been eaten, I’m coming back to haunt you,” Peter threatened.

“Awww, you’d make an adorable ghost, doll,” Bucky said, throwing Peter one of his blinding grins that always made the teen’s heart stutter before he turned back around and began paddling again. “I look forward to being haunted by you.”

“I hate you so much,” Peter grumbled, although he secretly enjoyed their banter.

Tony took hold of Peter’s shoulder and pulled him back so he could reach him for a kiss. “Don’t worry, love - if a bear chases you, I’ll just fly in with my armour and save you.”

“My hero,” the teen said, batting his lashes at the genius.

“Always. Will your hero get rewarded?”

He nodded. “Of course you will. But Bucky won’t get to take part, since he's being a dick.”

“You make it sound like watching you both is a punishment,” the soldier called over his shoulder.

“Who said you got to watch?” Peter fired back.

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

“Neither is getting eaten by a bear!”

“A bear’s gotta eat, doll - it’s nothing personal.”

“To the person being eaten, it feels pretty fucking personal!”

They continued to tease and bicker as they made their way back to the boathouse and Tony leapt onto the pier and tied the canoe to it, since they’d probably take it out again. He offered Peter his hand and helped him out of the canoe, and in turn, Peter offered his hand to Bucky. The soldier smiled as he took it but the smile froze as he saw the devious expression on his young lover’s face. “Erm, Petey?” he said.

“Have fun swimming with the fishes, Buck!” Peter cried and then pushed him backwards.

Bucky tumbled into the water with a large splash, and Tony began to laugh as they watched the super soldier surface, his hair plastered to his head as he spluttered, “You little shit!”

“Just making the most of my time left on this green earth before I get eaten by a bear,” Peter told him, then turned to Tony. “Shall we head inside and grab a drink?”

“Sounds good, baby - I’m parched.”

They laughed as they headed back up the pier, leaving Bucky to pull himself out of the water before he followed them, dripping and cursing. Peter knew the ex-assassin would already be planning his revenge, but so long as it didn't involve slathering the teen in barbeque sauce and leaving him tied to a tree, he didn't mind at all.


	6. Payback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was pointed out to me in the comments on the last chapter that I have no idea how canoes work lol Apparently you steer from the rear but to rewrite it would muck with the dialogue too much so I'm going to leave it and hope that you guys will just nod and smile and forgive me!

Bucky reached the cabin, drenched and shivering to find Tony there, holding out a towel. The afternoon had definitely cooled off, a brisk wind coming down from the mountain peaks that were still topped with snow, bringing the promise of a chilly night. He accepted the towel gratefully as well as the kiss that was offered. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

“No worries. Why don’t you go and have a nice warm shower and I’ll look at getting the fire started. I don’t think we’ll get too hot if I light it tonight.” The genius reached up and playfully flicked at Bucky’s lip. “Besides, your lips are turning blue and as much as I love your murder strut, it’s you I’m in love with, not the Winter Soldier.”

“Sounds good. Oh, by the way, where’s Petey?”

Tony hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I think he’s hiding from you.”

The soldier chuckled. “So he should. Tell him I will have my vengeance!”

“Okay, Maximus, will do, now scoot before you actually freeze to death.”

As soon as he stepped under the warm shower spray, Bucky sighed in bliss, not actually realising how cold he’d really been. He’d spent a lot of time over his years in mountain areas and knew that summer could be slow to come to the higher altitudes and quick to leave, but for some reason, he hadn’t translated that to the mountains of Washington. They were so green and populated that he hadn’t associated them with the remote peaks where most Hydra bases were hidden. Of course, it wasn’t anywhere near as cold as Siberia and was still considered summer weather, but taking a dip in a cold mountain lake would definitely rob a body of warmth.

He stayed under the water for a lot longer than he intended, but since they were on holiday, Bucky figured that he was allowed the luxury of extra long showers. He dried off and pulled on a pair of comfy sweats and a Henley before he made his way into the living room. There was a welcoming fire crackling merrily in the fireplace and both of his lovers were settled around it; Tony in a comfortable armchair, reading glasses perched atop his nose as he read a book, and Peter lying on his stomach on the floor, legs swinging backwards and forwards as he flipped through an old magazine. Seizing the perfect opportunity, Bucky pounced, jumping on top of Peter so he was straddling his hips. Then, since this was payback after all, he let his full weight rest on top of the teen, pinning him down.

Peter made an _oof_ sound and his feet came up to pound against Bucky’s back. “Hey!” he wheezed, “get off me!”

“Nope,” Bucky said, popping the p.

“But you’re heavy!”

“A shiny vibranium arm will do that,” the soldier replied pleasantly. “Since you didn’t get squished by a boarding ramp in Germany, I’m pretty sure you’ll survive this.”

Peter squirmed but Bucky held fast - even with the teen’s superior strength, he didn't have the leverage to use it and so he was well and truly stuck. “So, what are our plans for the night?” he asked Tony, giving him a winning smile.

“Oh, we have nowhere to be,” Tony said airily,” so we don’t have to move an inch if we don’t want to.”

“Tony!” Peter gasped in betrayal.

The genius batted his lashes at him sweetly. “Sorry, baby, but fair’s fair - you _did_ push him into the lake afterall. You knew there’d be consequences.”

“But he’s squishing me! I’m turning into a spider pancake!”

“Seeing as I love pancakes, I don’t see anything wrong with this outcome.”

“But don’t you love me more than you love pancakes?”

“But you said yourself, you’d be a spider pancake and since that spider is _you_ and I love you, baby, then I’d love a spider pancake twice as much.”

“I think your math is wrong,” Peter squeaked as Bucky shuffled around a little to get more comfortable.

Tony looked at Bucky, his eyes twinkling. “Do you think my math is wrong?”

The soldier cocked his head to one side, considering this. “Well, I’m no genius, but _you’re_ one so I’d say that if anyone here has done the math right, it’d be you, sweetheart.”

“See, Petey - Bucky said I’m right.”

“You’re just taking his word for it so he doesn't come sit on you!”

“I have no reason to be worried about him crushing me, baby, since I’m not the one who pushed him into a lake.”

“The punishment is not proportional to the crime!” the teen argued.

“Would you prefer if I threw you in the lake?” Bucky asked.

“Are you insane?” Peter cried. “The sun’s going down and it’s _cold_ now! I don’t want to freeze to death!”

Bucky shrugged. “Well then, if that’s so, looks like you’ll just have to get crushed to death instead.” And with that, he wriggled about a little more, just because he could.

Ten minutes later, Bucky finally relented and let Peter up. The teen pouted adorably as he stood and he stretched out, theatrically clasping at his back and complaining about how much his body ached. “This must be what it feels like when you’re a hundred years old,” he groaned.

Bucky laughed and pulled Peter onto his lap, cuddling him close. “Sometimes after you’ve worn me out in bed, I’m sure I do ache like that.”

“Are we even now?” Peter asked warily.

Bucky kissed him sweetly on the lips and nodded. “Until the next time you push me in the lake.”

“I’m actually a genius too so if you’re expecting me to do the same thing again, then you’re gonna be disappointed.”

Tony groaned. “God, this whole trip is going to turn into one big war, isn’t it?”

“To be fair, you fired the first shots with those atrocious puns on the way here,” the super soldier pointed out.

Tony paused and then nodded. “Yeah, no, that’s a fair call. How about a truce for tonight though so we can just relax?”

“I’m amenable to that,” Bucky agreed.

“Mmm, me too,” Peter said, yawning. “I’m too tired to formulate battle tactics tonight.”

Bucky stood up, easily carrying Peter over to the couch and he sank down into it, cradling him to his chest. “Don’t worry, doll, you rest up and I promise I won’t do anything to ya while you’re defenceless.” If he was being honest with himself, Bucky was exhausted as well. It was like his body suddenly knew that he was on vacation and that he wasn’t going to be called out on a mission or have to train with the others, and so it was letting go. They’d slept rather late and now it wasn’t even dark and he felt like that if he closed his eyes he’d just drift off.

Suddenly it became very difficult to keep his eyes open. Tony stood from the armchair and came over to join them on the couch, shaking out a blanket and draping it over them all and Bucky found himself comfortable and warm and surrounded by the men he loved. He watched the flames dance in the fireplace, mesmerised by them but even that couldn’t hold his attention for long. His eyelids grew heavy, and the stillness of the teen in his lap told him that Peter had already fallen asleep. Tony yawned wide and snuggled in even closer and Bucky finally decided to stop fighting and allowed himself to drift off as well.

~~~~~

“Ouch.”

“Doll? You okay?” Bucky asked sleepily, rousing from slumber.

“Yeah,” Tony replied, “my finger just got a little too close to the flames while I was stoking the fire,” he explained as he sucked the burnt pad into his mouth.

Bucky looked around the room, momentarily disorientated until he recalled that the three of them had fallen asleep on the couch. “What time’s it?” he asked, trying not to move and wake Peter who was still curled up against him.

“Gone midnight,” Tony replied quietly. “Figured that there’s no point having dinner now, we may as well just go to bed.”

“Hmmm, sounds good,” the soldier agreed.

“Give me a minute or two and I’ll go and get the bed ready so you can put him straight in,” the genius said, nodding to the sleeping teen.

Bucky nodded and watched as Tony made his way out of the living room and disappeared down the hall. When he thought enough time had passed for Tony to turn down the bed, he stood and carried Peter through the cabin, turning the light switch off with his elbow as he passed. He found his partner just climbing into the centre of the bed so he placed Peter gently on one side and then he quickly undressed, hit the light and climbed in on the other side of Tony. He pulled the genius to him, pressing his back close to his chest and kissed his shoulder.

“Are you having fun?” Tony whispered into the dark.

“Yeah, ‘course I am,” Bucky told him. “Why would you think I wasn’t?”

“I didn’t think that, I just wanted to make sure,” Tony explained. “It’s your first real vacation and I want it to be really good for you.”

“Sugar, I’m with you and Peter - it can’t get any better than that.”

“I just want you to have a good time.”

Bucky shuffled backwards a little and then urged Tony to roll over. He reached up to cup his face in the dark and then brought their lips together. The kiss was earnest and loving and he hoped that it conveyed everything that he felt for the stunning man in his arms. “I _am_ having a good time, sweetheart, trust me on that.”

“Even though Peter threw you in the lake?”

He huffed out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, well I probably deserved that after teasing him about bears. ‘sides, I then got to sit on that plush arse of his for ten minutes so it wasn’t exactly a hardship.”

“Mmmm, he has such a nice arse.”

“If I were a lesser man, I’d wake him up so we could play with it.”

“I _am_ a lesser man - do you think he’d mind if we woke him?”

“Tony,” Bucky said firmly, “no, we’re not waking him up. There’s plenty of time in the morning to play with his arse.”

The genius sighed forlornly. “Fine. Spoilsport.”

Kissing his pouty lower lip, Bucky couldn’t help but smile. “Go to sleep, sugar.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Buck - I love you.”

“Love you too. Night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There *will* be an actual plot to this fic, I promise...well, a little plot, some foreshadowing of future fics, you know, stuff *as well as* all the domestic fluff I'm plying you with. The boys have had a rough time so I don't feel too bad making it so syrupy sweet so far ;-)


	7. Bacon and Banter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to keep author notes to a minimum as I know they can be annoying but there’s a few needed for this chapter :)
> 
> 1) Westlake is an entirely fictional town - you won’t find it on any maps.  
> 2) I’m relying on Google for legal info about the age of consent in Washington which tells me: ‘In Washington State, the age of consent for sex is 16 years old. At this age, a person can consent to sex with any adult, regardless of the age difference between them. Washington's age of consent laws apply to both heterosexual and homosexual conduct.’ To me this says that there isn’t a statutory rape law that would apply like it would in New York (age of consent there is 17 but as Peter is under 18 and there is more than a four year age gap, it’s technically statutory rape). Please take this with a grain of salt since obviously I’m not a lawyer, just an author!  
> 3) So far the chapters have been alternating between the three of them in a pattern but that’s just a coincidence so far and won’t necessarily stay that way - it’ll all depend on whose POV is best for each chapter :)  
> 4) Lastly, I’m trying to post every few days but sometimes it’ll be faster (like today!) but others may take a little longer. We’re coming up fast on bushfire season here and I’m spending most of my free time doing firebreaks and getting the property bushfire ready so I have much less time to write. I appreciate your patience but I hope you know me well enough by now to know that I’ll always finish a fic and won’t ever leave you hanging.

“What do we want for breakfast?” Tony asked, a fond expression on his face as he looked at his partners. Peter was slumped across the island bench once more, struggling to keep his eyes open even though he’d had twelve hours of sleep, and Bucky sat quietly next to him, his metal hand absently playing with the teen’s soft brown locks.

“Do we have any bacon?” Peter mumbled, his eyes closing as the soldier scratched at his scalp.

Tony frowned. “I didn't see any but if there was, it would have been in Bucky’s cart since its main ingredient isn’t sugar.”

The super soldier grimaced. “Dammit, I knew I forgot somethin’.”

“Awww, Bucky, but I want bacon and eggs,” Peter whined, looking up at him with his big eyes. “If you _really_ loved me, you would have bought bacon.”

“And if _you_ really loved _me,_ you’d stop being a little shit and save the puppy dog eyes for things that actually matter, like when you want me to do _that thing_ with my tongue.”

“Point taken,” Peter acknowledged and blew a kiss at the older man.

Bucky shook his head in amusement and leaned down to press a kiss to his tousled hair.

“I know we skipped out on dinner but if you can both wait an hour or so for food, we can always take a run into town and grab breakfast from the diner there,” Tony suggested.

“I’m up for that,” Peter said, sitting up a little straighter.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” Bucky agreed.

They got dressed and climbed into the truck and Tony drove them into Westlake. It was a tiny town, with only a population of five hundred or so, with most people making a living from logging or tourism. It was one of the stops along the way to the volcano and during the peak season it was a nice place to stop away from the crowds with its stunning mountain views and quaint little shops. Pulling off the highway it was only two turns to get to the main street, which was busy at this time of the morning even for such a small place. Peak hour was universal.

Tony pulled into one of the few free angled parking bays left available, which was in front of the drugstore. The three climbed out of the truck and were greeted with a cheery welcome from the woman who was opening the store, placing a large A frame sign on the pavement. “Morning,” Tony replied with a nod and a smile before gesturing for his partners to follow.

Peter looked around, his eyes scanning up and down the street. “Is this, um, like, it? The whole town?”

“Yeah,” Tony told him. “What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know.” The teen sounded perplexed. “It kind of feels like one of those fake towns where they film movies. Like, it’s too perfect, if you know what I mean.”

The genius laughed. “It’s just a small, mountain town, baby. A lot of places look like this.”

“But it’s so clean! And there’s no graffiti anywhere! And,” he began as he smiled and said hello to an old man walking his dog, “people are friendly!” He looked around suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”

“There’s no catch, Petey, it’s just not the city. Besides, lots of people are friendly back home to Spider-Man - not everyone in the big smoke is an arsehole.”

“Yeah, they’re nice to Spider-Man but they just ignore me,” Peter said. “Without the suit, I’m just nobody.”

Bucky bumped his shoulder against the teen’s, looking like he wanted to hold him close but refrained since they were in public. Peter looked so glum that Bucky quickly changed his mind and pulled him into a hug. “You’re not just nobody, doll - you’re everything to us.”

The teen returned the hug and even gave him a peck on the cheek. “You know what I mean. I’m anonymous.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” the super soldier told him. “Back in the day, everyone in our neighbourhood knew everyone. It sounds nice in theory but the catch is that everyone gossips, there’s no privacy, and everyone knows everything about you. Worse still, they think that they have a _right_ to know everything. Anonymity isn’t always a bad thing.”

“Yep, take it from someone who has been in the media spotlight his whole life.” Tony confirmed. “You don’t know how nice it is to be ignored until you wish you were.”

They’d made their way halfway down the street by then to where Tony’s favourite diner was. There were several places in town where you could grab a bite to eat but this one had always had the best food. It might not still be true now but he was willing to take that chance. He held open the door and gestured his lovers inside and then followed after them.

A chirpy young brunette greeted them, her smile faltering a little as she took in the sight before her. “G...good m...morning,” she stammered, a rosy blush colouring her cheeks as her eyes flickered between all three of them, seeming unsure of which one was the safest to look at. “Table for three?”

“Yes thanks,” Tony told her, giving her a friendly smile. She nodded and led them back into the diner towards a round booth in the corner, throwing several looks over her shoulder as she went. He was pretty sure that she didn’t recognise them, but was just reacting to the fact that several gorgeous men had descended upon her place of work. Tony was confident enough to know that he was good looking, but Peter and Bucky were in a whole different league. The soldier was ruggedly handsome until he unleashed his megawatt smile and then no one stood a chance, while Peter just looked like he’d descended from the heavens to prove to humans how dull and plain they were next to angels. And here they were, being shown to a table by a poor, unsuspecting waitress who would probably have to go into the back to hyperventilate before she could regain her senses enough to function properly.

They ordered coffee, the poor girl’s face pink the entire time as she couldn’t help but stare at the three of them, almost choking when Bucky casually slung his arm across Peter’s shoulder and gave Tony moon eyes. She may not have recognised them as superheroes but there was no way that she didn’t suspect that they were all together. Tony found that he wasn’t at all bothered - they weren’t technically breaking the law here as Peter was of age and although they had agreed that they wouldn’t be overly obvious about it, they were all sick of hiding what they were to each other. It was rather freeing to be able to subtly show it. Promising to be back soon with their coffee and to take their order, the girl scurried off, and Tony knew that the interaction had just filled for her whatever the female equivalent of a spank bank was.

“Somehow I don’t think that today is going to get topped for her anytime soon,” Tony quipped. “She couldn’t keep her eyes off you two.”

“Pfft, did you miss the way she was checking out your arse, sweetheart?” Bucky replied.

“Is it just me or did she figure out that we’re an us?” Peter asked, looking half elated, half terrified.

“I think she did,” Tony confirmed.

“Do you think that’ll be a problem?”

“No baby, I don’t think so. I don’t think we should run around town with our tongues permanently down each other’ throats, but I also don’t think that we have to be as careful as we are back home.”

The teen considered this and then broke out into a grin. “Damn, it feels good, doesn’t it? I can’t wait till we don’t have to hide it wherever we are.”

“Not long now, doll,” Bucky assured him, giving his hand a squeeze and then not bothering to let it go.

They looked over the menus and when their waitress returned with their coffee, placed their orders. “So, heading up to the national park today?” she asked, clearly trying to get back some professionalism and make small talk.

Tony shook his head. “No, not today, but we will at some point.”

“Oh, so you’re staying in the area?”

“Yeah, I have a cabin out of town. Haven’t been here for a while but it’s good to be back. Does Burt still run this place?”

She shook her head, seeming to relax at hearing that although they weren’t locals, Tony at least had spent time in the area. “No, he had a stroke a few years back but the place stayed in the family. Maria, his daughter runs it now.”

“I bet she can cook just as well as her daddy can.”

The girl laughed. “Better actually. You should try her cherry pie - I’ve seen it make grown men cry before.”

“We’ll make sure we come back at some stage for dinner then.”

She hesitated for a moment and then said, “Um, you might want to avoid coming in on Tuesday or Thursday nights. Gracie works those nights and she’s kinda of a huge fan and she won’t mean to, but she might gush a little. I work most other nights, only picking up this morning to help out, so if you come in on one of those nights, I can guarantee that you guys won’t be disturbed.”

So much for not being recognised. “I appreciate that...” Tony told her genuinely, pausing because he didn't know her name.

She looked down and realised that she wasn’t wearing her badge. “Ah, shoot, it’s on my other uniform. I’m Stella.”

“Well, we appreciate that, Stella and we’ll definitely take you up on your offer.”

She smiled and then left to give their order to the cook, giving them some privacy.

“We can’t take you anywhere, can we?” Bucky teased.

“I’m pretty sure she recognised you as well,” Tony told him.

“Do you think it’ll be a problem?” Peter asked, that uncertainty back in his voice.

Tony sighed. Although he always carried NDAs with him whenever he traveled, he hated using them. He hoped that the girl would keep her word and her silence but there was no guarantee. He should have known better than to get his hopes up that he wouldn’t be recognised. “Maybe we should go back to being extra careful about the amount of affection we show in public, just in case. At the moment it would just be rumours but it’d be a different story if anyone got a photo of us.”

Bucky reluctantly let go of Peter’s hand. “Well, that was short lived,” he said sadly.

“Sorry,” Tony murmured, his eyes downcast.

“Hey,” Peter said gently, nudging him under the table. “It’s okay, Tony - it’s not like we’re staying in town. We’ll manage for a few hours until we get back to the cabin and then we won’t _have_ to keep our hands off each other.”

“He’s right, sugar,” Bucky agreed. “Now, no more frowns - we’re on vacation so we should be enjoying ourselves!”

Comforted by their words, Tony pushed aside all feelings of guilt and made an effort to enjoy himself. Stella returned with their meals, plates piled high with greasy bacon and eggs, and his stomach growled when he saw the food, ignoring the feeble protests from his arteries. They tucked in and the moans that the three of them made were almost pornographic. They all seemed to realise it at once and after furtively glancing around to see if anyone else noticed, they broke into fits of laughter.

“Looks like we can't take any of us anywhere,” Tony joked.

“That’s a shame, I’d come anywhere for you,” Peter said, a picture of innocence but his eyes were gleaming.

Bucky had taken a sip of coffee and choked on it, coughing and pounding on his chest. “You can’t _say stuff like that_ , doll,” he protested when he could finally talk again.

“I believe I just did,” the teen told him with a shit eating grin.

“God, you’re going to be the death of me.”

“You keep saying that, but you’ve not gotten rid of me yet. What does that say about you?”

“That I’m suicidal?”

“They have hotlines for that.”

“Don’t be cheeky.”

“But it’s why you love me!”

“I’m beginning to rethink that.”

Tony watched on in amusement as Peter and Bucky continued their banter, nibbling on his bacon as he did so. He loved them both so much, it was frankly terrifying at times but if he was good at anything, it was running towards things that scared him. Besides, it was also exhilarating, knowing how fast and how far he’d fallen for the pair, but knowing that he’d never hit the bottom because they’d always catch him.

They lingered over breakfast, the huge meal a struggle to finish even for Bucky with his super soldier metabolism, but decided that it was time to head back to the cabin. As the morning went by, the town would get busier and busier with tourists and they wanted to avoid the crowds if they could. So far they’d only been recognised by Stella but the odds would stack against them as they saw more people. Tony left a hefty tip behind, assured their waitress that they’d see her again and then made their way back out onto the main street towards their truck.

They’d not even gotten fifty feet before a voice cried out from behind them. “As I live and breathe, it’s Anthony Stark!”


	8. You've Got To Be Kidding Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know I said I might not get to post as often as before and then I managed to get another chapter written today...I'd apologise but I have a feeling you don't mind lol

The three men whirled around at the sound of the voice and Bucky was instantly on alert, his hand ducking towards the knife he had hidden in his jeans. It hovered there, waiting until he saw Tony’s reaction to the old man that stood behind them. Granted, the man looked almost as old as Bucky was and not at all threatening, but as the one hundred year old assassin knew firsthand, age didn't mean squat.

“Mr Overton?” Tony asked in a surprised tone as he removed his coloured sunglasses.

The man seemed delighted to be recognised and he pulled the genius into a rough hug. “My God, boy, I never thought I’d run into you here again! It’s so good to see you!”

“Wow, it’s great to see you too,” Tony replied, looking slightly dazed. “How are you? How’s Lizzy?”

“She’s well, she’s well,” the old man said, still gripping Tony’s biceps and looking at him like he wasn’t sure if he was real or not. “Age has slowed us down a little but not enough for us to move into one of those God awful retirement villages that Thomas keeps nagging us about.”

“Hasn’t he clued into the fact that you’ll be dead before you leave the mountains?”

“What can I say? I must have dropped him on his head as a babe because he’s a bit slow on the uptake that one.”

Tony laughed and gestured to the others. “Mr Overton, these are colleagues of mine, Bucky and Peter. I’ve bought them up here to have a well earned break.”

They both smiled at the man in greeting and Mr Overton shook their hands enthusiastically. “It’s good to meet you both. Any friends of Anthony’s are surely friends of mine, but please, call me Ted. That goes for you too, son,” he told Tony.

“Yes, sir,” Tony said with a smile. “Mr Ov - sorry, _Ted_ , lives in the property next door to the cabin. I’ve known him since I was a kid. I’d always try to avoid Howard when we were there and I’d usually end up trespassing on his property.”

“I’d put him to work every time I caught him,” Ted reminisced. “Usually I’d make him mow the lawn or help me chop wood. But he never complained! Seemed more than happy to lend a hand.”

“What can I say? It’s nice to feel needed.”

Ted clapped Tony on the shoulder. “You’re always needed, my boy.”

“Yeah, well we’re here for the next two weeks so if you actually do need a hand with anything, you just let me know.”

“Oh, are you sure?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, of course - that was a genuine offer. Why, what’s up?”

The old man hooked his thumb over his shoulder towards the laundromat. “Well, the washer’s gone on the fritz and Bobby Petersen’s still the only electrician in town. We had a bit of a freak electrical storm a few weeks back that wreaked havoc with everyone’s appliances so he’s booked up solid for the next month. I’ve been having to come into town to do the washing but I hate leaving Lizzy by herself for too long now that she’s not so steady on her feet. I was hoping that if you’re still handy with stuff like that, that maybe you could have a look at it?”

“Yeah, of course I can, Ted, that’s no problem at all. You still got all those tools that you used to?”

“Sure do.”

Tony looked over to his lovers. “Will you two be okay if I head back with Ted?”

“Of course we will,” Bucky assured him, deftly catching the keys Tony threw his way.

“Right, well let’s hit the hardware store so I can grab some basic wiring in case we need it and then we’ll get to fixing it,” Tony assured the old man. “See you guys later.”

Bucky and Peter said their farewells and headed back to the truck. “You know what’s always confused me?” Bucky asked as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“What’s that?” Peter asked.

“When I was on the run with the Rogues, I overheard them talking a few times about Tony. They never said anything to me directly, but they never took pains to hide their conversations either. The most common thing they said about him was that he was selfish and self absorbed.” He paused, his hand lingering on the keys in the ignition. “I just simply do not understand how a buncha people can be either so _blind_ or so _stupid_. Tony is the most generous, kind, and selfless person I have ever met who would do anything for anyone. It’s like they were talkin’ about an entirely different person.”

“Yeah, well, from what I can tell, they’re a bunch of dicks,” Peter growled. “People like them only see what they want to see.”

Bucky shook his head. “It just really fucking perplexes me, doll. Kinda makes me question my whole friendship with Ste...with Rogers. I mean, was he always that way? If he was, why didn’t I notice? Or was _I_ that way too and I’ve just changed with age?”

Peter reached out and gave his thigh a squeeze. “I guarantee you, Bucky, that you could never have been like that. I don’t think either Tony or I would have fallen in love with you if you were.”

He wasn’t sure if Peter was right or not but he wanted so badly to believe him that he just nodded, turned the ignition and began the drive back to the cabin. Traffic on the highway was heavier than he’d seen it so far, all heading the opposite direction, up towards Mount St Helens. Summer was coming to an end and they weren’t the only ones looking to take advantage of it. They were both quiet as they drove and Peter hopped out to get the gate when they turned into the driveway.

“I’m still having trouble believing that this place is real, and that I’m actually staying here,” Peter admitted as they pulled up in front of the cabin.

“Yeah, it’s really somethin’ else, isn’t it,” Bucky agreed.

“I sometimes worry that I’ll wake up and  discover that this has all been a dream.”

Bucky turned in the seat and took hold of his hand, knowing that Peter wasn’t just talking about the vacation but their relationship in general. “Doll, this is very, _very_ real.”

The teen swallowed hard. “I hope so,” he whispered. “If it’s not, I don’t ever want to wake up.”

Peter had unclipped his seatbelt so in one swift move, Bucky yanked him across the seat until he was sitting sideways on his lap, squished between the soldier’s chest and the steering wheel. Peter yelped but quietened as soon as Bucky had buried his nose against his neck. “Never doubt that this is real, Petey. Never doubt our love.”

“I just wonder what I ever did to deserve both of you,” he said so quietly that even Bucky’s enhanced hearing struggled to pick it up.

“Says the boy who has only ever done good to the man who has killed more people than he can count,” Bucky whispered brokenly back.

“Buck, no, no, don’t be like that, you deserve every happiness.”

“Then so do you.”

Peter sighed but instead of replying, he just hugged Bucky tightly. After a while he said, “I’m not sure if the truck is just happy to see me or not but the gear stick is poking me in the back.”

Bucky laughed and opened the door, cradling Peter to him as he slipped down from the truck before setting the teen gently down on his feet. They turned to head inside when an unholy scream shattered the silence around them. “What the hell?” the soldier muttered, twisting around as his eyes searched the area.

Peter saw it first, pointing towards the sky. “What the fuck is that?”

A misshapen blob was moving jerkily through the sky above the lake, and then the scream came again, sending chills through Bucky’s veins. “Is that an eagle?” he asked as he finally got a good look.

“What the hell is it holding?” Peter asked, aghast.

It was a small animal of some kind, but not even Bucky could tell what it was from here. The eagle was struggling however - either its prey was too big or the bird was injured. As it flew overhead, both men shielding their eyes as they looked up at it, the animal jerked once more and then it was falling from the eagle’s grasp, plummeting to earth with another of those soul piercing screams. Bucky acted on instinct, darting forward with his arms outstretched, catching the poor creature before it could hit the ground. Above them the eagle screeched, but it didn’t challenge them for its meal, obviously deciding that it had bitten off more than it could chew.

Bucky looked down into the panic stricken eyes of a baby goat. It was bleeding from where the sharp talons had pierced it but otherwise it seemed unharmed.

“Holy crap, thank God you caught it,” Peter cried, instantly by his side.

“Hey there, you,” Bucky said to the kid in a gentle voice, hoping to not scare it anymore than it already was. “Let’s get you inside and safe.”

Peter hurried to open the door and without having to be asked, he darted off, returning with a first aid kit and some towels. “What do we do?” he asked, panic in his voice. “Is it going to be okay? Do you think it’s going to live? Can you fix it?”

“I’m not sure, sugar, but you need to calm down or you’re going to freak it out even more.”

“Oh shit, right, sorry, sorry, I’m so sorry little goat, you’re safe here, Bucky’s gonna look after you, it’s all okay.”

The soldier couldn't help but smile fondly at the teen - he was so utterly adorable when he was flustered. He moved into the sunken lounge room and sat down on the couch, shifting the trembling goat on his lap. He very gently examined it, seeing that the talon indents were deep but he didn’t think that they would require stitches since the bleeding was already stopping. “Can you get me a bowl of warm water?” he asked his lover.

“Does it need a drink?”

“No, doll, it’s probably in shock so drinking something wouldn’t be good for it at the moment. No, I want to clean up these injuries.”

“Oh, right, okay, right away.”

While Peter was in the kitchen, Bucky very carefully scritched the kid’s head speaking to it gently in a low voice. The trembling was slowly subsiding and the goat appeared to be calming down. “Thanks, love,” he said as Peter placed the bowl of water on the couch next to him. He dipped some gauze into the water and wiped carefully over the wounds, causing the kid to cry softly but it didn’t fight to get away. Once they were cleaned as much as he could, he wiped over them with iodine and then placed two small pads over each puncture and had Peter wrap a bandage around the animal’s torso to keep them in place. “I wonder if we should get in a vet,” he mused, continuing to hold it gently and stroking its neck.

“Do you think it’ll get an infection?”

“Maybe, but I was thinking more in case it needs pain relief.”

“Oh, right, yeah.”

Bucky peered at the kid, trying to determine how much pain it was in. Over his extended lifetime he had gotten most attuned to determining if a human was in pain but animals were different, and he simply had no idea. Deciding that he’d rather be safe than sorry since he didn’t want the poor creature to be in unnecessary pain, he pulled out his phone and Googled local vets. There was a mobile service available so he rang and was able to make an appointment within the hour. Thanking the woman, he hung up and rubbed at the horn nubs on the kid’s head. “Someone will be out soon to look at you, little fella. For now do you wanna get down and explore a little?” He placed the goat down on the ground but it just looked up at him and bleated sadly. Worried that it was in too much pain to move, he decided to spread out some newspaper for it so it could at least relieve itself without messing up the cabin’s polished wooden floors. He stood to hunt down some paper but found the kid trotted happily after him, stopping when he stopped and butting its head against his leg.

“I think he likes you,” Peter said, watching with a grin on his face.

The kid stayed on his tail as he went to the box next to the fireplace and found some newspaper there and then all the way back back to the couch. “He seems to be walking okay,” the soldier observed. “I wonder if he’ll be okay if we take him outside?” With Peter watching intently, Bucky headed for the front door, helping the tiny kid to clamber up the step from the sunken lounge. He opened the door and stepped outside but the kid froze in the doorway and cried pitifully at Bucky. He frowned, then leaned down and picked it up, thinking maybe the distance was too far to walk. As he stepped outside, the goat began to struggle and bleat loudly, and he hurried back inside, where it calmed immediately. “I guess that’s a ‘no’ to going outside then.”

“I think he’s scared,” Peter said. “Though if I’d almost been eaten by a giant bird, I’d be scared too.”

“I guess we’ll just have to stay inside then,” he decided.

The goat didn’t leave Bucky’s side for a single second while they waited for the vet to arrive and Peter watched, fascinated at the interactions. He very hesitantly joined Bucky in petting the animal when the ex-assassin assured him that it would be okay, but he seemed terribly unsure. Domesticated animals like dogs and cats he was absolutely fine with but for some obscure reason, other animals made him nervous.

The vet arrived and they went through the process of unwinding the bandages so she could examine the wounds. She hummed happily and praised Bucky for his ministrations, then she slathered the area with an antiseptic gel and then redressed them. “How long will he be in your care?” she asked.

“Oh, um, I’m not really sure. He literally just fell into our laps,” Bucky said.

She smiled at his choice of words and then pulled out her phone, swiping through her contacts. “I know a lady with an animal rescue farm about an hour away from here. She’s usually happy to come and pick up injured animals so I can see if she’d be happy to make the trip up here?”

Bucky nodded in relief, not really having thought through what they’d do with the kid once it had been checked over. “That would be great, thank you.”

The vet made the call and confirmed with her contact that she could take the goat. “She’ll be here late this afternoon, if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Okay, are you good to pick up the bill for the antibiotics and painkillers? Jean already does so much for the rescues that it’s tough to ask her to foot the bill for the meds as well.”

Bucky nodded. “Of course we are, that’s the least we can do.”

The vet got the medicine ready and then after Bucky had handed over his credit card, she packed up her things and left. The first lot of painkillers were starting to kick in and the kid was drowsing in Bucky’s arms. He didn’t want to disturb its much needed rest and so he sat back down on the couch and Peter popped a movie on, then snuggled up next to them. Bucky smiled as Peter timidly reached out to scritch the goat behind the ears and he dropped a kiss on the teen's temple. “Thanks for helping,” he whispered.

“Thanks for saving him,” Peter whispered back.

The movie began and Bucky was so distracted by not only the film but constantly checking on his patient that he didn’t even hear the door open. He swore and almost jumped out of his skin when a voice said from directly behind him, “Why on _earth_ is there a goat is my house?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sassy_Boo_Bear I do hope this did your goat idea justice lol


	9. A Sad Farewell

Tony drained the last of the coffee and gave the old woman a dazzling smile. “Best cup of joe I’ve had in ages, Lizzie, thanks.”

“You’re most welcome, my darling boy,” she said, gripping his forearm. “Are you sure there’s nothing else I can get for you? A cup of coffee seems a paltry payment for you fixing our machine.”

He shook his head. “Trust me, I don’t need anything else. I’m more than happy to help you two out and really, it wasn't a hard fix in the end.”

“I can make you some lunch,” she offered.

“Really, Lizzy, it’s fine, honestly. I should be getting back to my...ah, guests, anyway.”

Ted gave him a knowing look. “Fine couple of fellas you got yourself there, Anthony. I hope they look after you as good as you do them.”

Tony choked on his spit and had to thump at his chest to clear his throat. “Huh?” he wheezed, his eyes round with panic.

“Oh, please, my boy - I’ve been around longer than dirt. If you think I can’t spot when people are in love with one another then you got another thing coming. Doesn’t matter if it’s two people or three, men, women, young, old, the look of utter happiness in their eyes is always the same. The three of you are so smitten with each other that I’m surprised you don’t have little cartoon hearts circling your noggins.”

He was so shocked that he couldn’t speak and just stood there gaping at the old man.

“Well, go on now, you said you’d best be getting back, so don’t keep them waiting, son - they might start without you.”

“Ted!” Lizzy admonished, whacking him on the shoulder. “Stop teasing the boy. Just ignore him, darling, he’s a cheeky sod who should learn to mind his own damn business.”

Ted’s eyes were twinkling as he thumped Tony on the back and guided him to the door. “Thanks again for the help. I hope you’ll at least let us have the three of you over for dinner before you head back to the big smoke.”

Finally finding his voice, Tony said, “Yeah, sure, of course.”

“You remember your way back?” Ted asked. “I can drop you back if you want.”

“Nah, I’m good. Nice day for a walk anyway.”

“Alright then. Talk to your boys and figure out which night suits you best for dinner and then give us a call.”

“Will do.”

“Thanks, Anthony.”

Tony headed out into the bright sunshine and headed down the driveway until he hit the small track that angled off from it. It was still well trodden since Ted used it to get to his boundary fence but the days of a small boy who was running from his father traversing it were long gone. It was quite a long walk considering the size of their properties but the genius didn’t mind, finding himself enjoying the time by himself. It was rare these days that he was alone for long and although he loved the company he kept, sometimes it was just nice to be alone with one’s thoughts. His mind never stopped, was always whirring away and it was almost a relief to take a moment to try and enforce some sort of order upon it, especially with the bombshell that had just been dropped on him. Ted had figured out their secret so quickly that it was worrisome. Were they that obvious? Was it just because they’d let down their guard while on holidays? Had anyone else figured them out? _Would_ anyone else figure it out? Ted might have been accepting like Rhodey and Michelle were but not everyone would be. They had roughly six months until Peter turned eighteen and they just needed to hold out until then. Sure, even then they probably wouldn’t be accepted by a lot of people but at least neither he nor Bucky could be charged with statutory rape. Maybe he should just move them here for the next six months so they wouldn’t have to worry about that at all...He sighed and tried to figure out if he should say anything to his partners, though if they did go to dinner at the Overton’s then they’d probably figure out pretty darn quickly that the older couple were aware of their relationship. Tony still had time to come to a decision about that so for now he pushed the thought away and decided to worry about it later.

It took a good forty minutes to reach the cabin and he’d worked up a sweat by the time he’d gotten home. It wasn’t an overly warm day but the clear sky and the exercise combined to make him rather sticky. Thoughts of a shower and then a lazy afternoon on the couch with Bucky and Peter were very appealing, especially if cuddling on the couch turned into something else. With a spring in his step, he jumped up the front steps and slipped inside.

The interior of the cabin was dark after the brightness of the day outside and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust. Tony could make out the back of Bucky and Peter’s heads on the couch in the sunken lounge and the sound of a movie playing and he headed over there, surprised that neither had seemed to hear him. He frowned, wondering if something was wrong since normally nothing got passed either of their super senses.

He strolled up to the back of the couch and stopped, dead, curiously peering down at the small animal that was sound asleep in the super soldier’s lap. “Why on _earth_ is there a goat is my house?” he asked, wondering if he was possibly hallucinating. Of all the things he’d expected to return home to find, this had not been one of them.

“Oh, hi, Tony,” Peter said, turning and smiling brightly up at him. “Bucky caught it when it fell from the sky and we’re just waiting for a woman to come and pick it up.”

“That...didn’t answer any of the questions I have,” Tony said, deadpan. “In fact, it’s only served to give me more. Buckaroo? Care to shed any light on the matter?”

“Sure, sweetheart,” the soldier answered easily, “but how ‘bout you give us a kiss first and then join us on the couch and I’ll tell you the story.”

“Not quite what I had in mind when I pictured us spending the afternoon on the couch but what the hell,” he said, leaning down to peck first Bucky on the lips and then Peter before walking around to the front of the couch and taking a seat on the other side of the soldier.

The genius listened in quiet amusement as Bucky told the tale of how he’d rescued the baby goat from plummeting to its death from the talons of an eagle and how they’d cared for it since. During the entire story, Bucky didn’t stop petting the kid once, even though it was deep in a drug-induced sleep. His stormy blue eyes were softer than even when he looked at Tony and Peter and the genius found it completely adorable. For someone who had struck fear into the hearts of men for decades, the ex-assassin was actually a big softie. If Hydra could only see him now…

“Well, it sounds like you’re both heroes,” Tony said as seriously as he could, his lips twitching. “How about I reward you by making you both some lunch? Toasted cheese sound good?”

“Yeah, thanks, sugar,” Bucky said with a smile.

“I can help,” Peter offered, jumping up off the couch.

“Sure thing, baby,” Tony said, wrapping an arm around his waist as they crossed to the kitchen.

It didn’t take long to put together the sandwiches, the smell of melting cheese filling the area as they sizzled in the frypan. Tony leaned back against the counter, listening to Peter recount once again how Bucky had caught the goat and how amazed he was with the whole experience, waving the flip around in his hand animatedly. “Like, if we hadn’t gotten home at that exact moment and the poor thing hadn’t screamed, we wouldn’t have been there and Bucky wouldn’t have caught it and then we’d have just found it flattened on the ground and we’d have had no idea of what had happened. You should have seen it, Tony, it was amazing - Bucky didn’t even flinch, just caught it and he knew exactly what to do!”

The genius tilted his head towards the pan. “I think they’re burning.”

“Oh, right!” The teen spun around and quickly flipped the sandwiches, and then continued raving about how amazing Bucky had been.

Tony let the words wash over him, completely content and enjoying every moment. He loved this simple domesticity that he’d found with his two partners, and the fact that they could indulge for two whole weeks was utter bliss. In this very moment all his cares and worries faded into the background. The Accords, their two new teammates that they’d not even had much of a chance to work with yet, the Rogue Avengers, the fact that more and more people knew about their relationship, even the heartbreaking thought of Peter leaving for university in a year’s time - none of it mattered right now. Nothing mattered except for the small bubble that they had created around the three of them where Bucky could relax on the couch with an injured animal in his lap, Peter could chatter away to his heart’s content, and Tony didn’t have to hold back showing just how much the two men meant to him. In fact, maybe it was time to show them right now?

Cutting Peter off mid-word, Tony pulled the teen to him, kissing him passionately, unable to wait until he’d finished talking. Peter gasped but didn’t protest, simply kissed the older man back with equal fervour, arms snaking around Tony’s neck while the genius placed his large hands on the teen’s hips. It was exactly what Tony needed and he hummed happily even as he flicked Peter’s tongue with his own. His lover’s body was firm and warm against him and his hands began to wander lower, grabbing two handfuls of that pert arse and squeezing them appreciatively. Peter moaned at that, rocking his pelvis against Tony’s, both of them hard and seeking more friction but at the same time, enjoying the tease. Kissing Peter was familiar now but it never failed to send a small thrill through Tony. He’d wanted the boy for so damn long - long enough that he had twisted himself in knots trying to beat himself up for his _baddirtywrong_ lustful thoughts, but then Bucky had shown them that they had both loved each other and had guided them together and now he could kiss Peter whenever they had a moment alone. It was sheer heaven, despite the act itself being so damn sinful.

There was the sound of a throat being cleared behind them and they broke apart to find Bucky smirking at them. He held the pan with the slightly blackened sandwiches in it and had just turned off the hob. “I’ll just get these, shall I?” he asked archly.

Tony was about to reply with something witty and sarcastic when he was interrupted by a woeful bleating. He looked down to see the kid at Bucky’s feet, butting his head against the soldier’s calf. “I think you’re needed,” he said instead.

Bucky looked down and shook his head. “I left you alone for five seconds!” he exclaimed.

The baby goat just looked sadly up at him.

“I think he thinks you’re his mommy,” Peter said.

“I doubt that,” Bucky told him, stepping carefully over the animal so he could slide the sandwiches off onto the plates the teen had laid out earlier. “He’s only been with me for a coupla hours.”

“Nah, I think Petey’s right,” Tony teased. “Pretty sure the little guy has imprinted on you.”

Bucky frowned but didn't reply, just handed the others their sandwiches and then made his way back to the couch, the kid on his heels the entire way. As soon as he sat down, the animal hopped up immediately and settled itself down in his lap like it was a custom made goat cushion and the ex-assassin began petting it again, apparently subconsciously.

Tony winced and threw Peter a worried glance. “I wonder who will be most upset when the rescue lady comes - Bucky or the goat?”

Peter looked worried as well and the two of them headed back to the couch to be with their lover. The goat might be upset when it was separated from Bucky but Tony was more worried about how upset the super soldier would be. He’d taken to the animal so quickly and his interactions with it were so natural that Tony was beginning to think that they should get a puppy or something for him when they got back to New York. The wide, doe eyes that Peter was throwing at him said that the teen was thinking the exact same thing. He filed the thought away for a later time when he was thinking more rationally. A puppy sounded all well and good until he took into considerations the logistics and just how fair it was to keep a dog locked up in a penthouse. Sure, thousands of New Yorkers owned dogs and managed just fine but how many of them were also superheroes who could be called away at a moment’s notice? Friday might be smarter than the average person but she lacked the opposable thumbs - and the _rest_ of the body - needed to take care of a pet while they were away.

They spent the afternoon in the same spot, watching movies and talking quietly. The goat didn't move more than a foot from Bucky the entire time, only reluctantly moving off his lap and onto the newspaper spread out on the floor to relieve himself before clambering back into his favoured position. The inevitable came however and the kind woman who ran the rescue farm arrived. She was a pleasant, no-nonsense woman who clearly cared deeply for all animals, and she listened closely as she heard the kid’s story. She took the medications and thanked them profusely for not only paying the vet bill but for also covering the cost of the pills. Tony took note of the name of the rescue, making a mental note to transfer a large donation to the organisation as soon as he could, then vowed to double that amount when the woman brushed off Bucky’s apologies and waited patiently as he had one final cuddle and said goodbye to the kid. His eyes were glistening with tears as he watched the goat being loaded into the back of the car where a crate with numerous blankets was stored but he didn't let them fall as they watched the woman start the engine and then pull off down the driveway.

“He’s going to be well looked after,” Tony assured Bucky, slipping his hand into his.

“I know,” he said, voice catching a little as his eyes stayed glued to the car until it disappeared from sight.

Peter took hold of the soldier’s other hand and bumped their shoulders together. “It’s been a long day - how about we have a nap before dinner?”

Tony smiled, having been about to suggest the exact same thing.

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, doll, that sounds nice. Let’s go do that.” And with one last look in the direction his little friend had disappeared in, he turned and led the others back inside.


	10. Unbearable panic

“I don’t understand why we can’t just lounge by the lake,” Peter said for the third time, watching as Bucky slipped his feet into his boots.

“It’s too cold for swimming, baby,” Tony told him, coming into the bedroom and dropping several bottles of water onto the ground next to their backpacks. “Plus, you don’t want your shiny new hiking boots to go to waste.”

“Besides, I thought you wanted to see some more of the area,” Bucky said, bending down to lace his own new shoes.

Peter was momentarily distracted by the soldier’s perfect arse flexing in front of his face but he eventually dragged his eyes away. “Yeah, but I thought it would be from the truck or a canoe or something.”

“We can’t come all the way to the mountains without going hiking,” Bucky asserted.

 _Yes we can_ , the teen thought but didn’t voice it. Not wanting to sound ungrateful, he also didn’t mention that Tony didn’t _have_ to buy him new boots. Both of his partners were extremely enthusiastic about their hike and if he hadn’t convinced them by now not to go then he had little chance of it now. He sighed quietly to himself, and wondered if being eaten by a bear would hurt. Would it be over with in one bite? Two? Or would the sharp toothed monster slowly eat him feet first, his terror and struggles simply adding flavour to the beast’s meal? It was summer - would there be baby bears? Would he be torn apart and fed to something that looked like a soft toy but was actually a growing killing machine? How would May take the news? She’d been so worried about him being injured whilst being Spider-Man that he was sure she would be taken by complete surprise by his grisly demise at the jaws of a bear. Not exactly the death one would consider for a boy from Queens…

His partners seemed completely oblivious to Peter’s growing panic about the hike, both of them finishing placing everything they’d need into the backpacks, with Tony telling Bucky about a gorgeous spot up behind the cabin that had a lovely view of the lake and the volcano. He handed Peter one of the backpacks, and only when the teen failed to take it, did he notice that something was wrong. “Petey?” Tony asked, concerned. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Um, n...n...nothing,” he stammered.

“Yeah, that’s clearly a lie. What is it?”

Both of the older men were looking at him with such worry that he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “ _I don’t want to be eaten,_ ” he cried, wringing his hands and feeling his cheeks flush a deep red at the admission.

“Oh, honey, no,” Bucky said, mortified. He rushed forwards and pulled his trembling lover to him. “It was a joke, I swear, I wasn’t serious.”

“There’s bear mace in the backpacks!” Peter gulped in a large breath of air, finding it hard to breathe through his panic.

“That’s just a precaution,” Tony assured him. “There’s not many bears that are going to attack three fully grown men.”

“But you said -”

“No, I’m going to stop you there,” Tony interrupted him. “I think it’s best if you disregard _everything_ we’ve said so far up until now. _Especially_ the stuff that Bucky has said.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” the super soldier said, looking sheepish. “I thought you’d know I wasn’t being serious.”

“I’ve never been to the woods before,” Peter protested, feeling an utter fool, “so how would I know? There’s news reports all the time of people being attacked.”

“Oh, doll, I really am sorry for scaring you, but it’s really not as dangerous as you think.”

“How about,” Tony said, reaching up to cup Peter’s cheek, wiping a stray tear away with his thumb, “we just go for a small hike today, just to get you used to the place? You can see for yourself how safe we are when we take precautions, hmmm? Does that sound okay?”

“I guess,” Peter said in a small voice, wishing the ground would swallow him whole. He had never been so embarrassed before in his life.

Bucky hugged him hard and then let him go, allowing Tony to pull him in for a kiss. At least they weren’t making fun of him and acted like they felt bad - it made Peter feel just a tad better about the whole thing.

They donned their backpacks and Tony led them out the front door and onto a narrow trail that led into the dense woods that surrounded the cabin. Bucky urged Peter forwards so he would be between the two of them and the teen gave him a small smile of thanks, grateful for the consideration. No matter how many assurances they had given him, he was still wary of his surroundings, his whole body thrumming with tension and alert for anything out of the ordinary. Of course, having lived in a concrete jungle his entire life, _everything_ was out of the ordinary for him. The call of a bird had him startling, and the breeze causing branches to rustle together had him looking this way and that, He increased his pace, almost walking on top of Tony, only calming when Bucky reached forward and placed his hand on the small of his back.

After half an hour of walking, the ground began to slope upwards and they climbed steadily for another half an hour. By this time, Peter had started to relax, reassured by the fact that he hadn’t been snatched off the trail by a lurking Ursus americanus. The day was growing warmer and his shirt began to stick to his back where the backpack pressed against him. They paused for a short break, stopping in the shade of overhanging branches and sipping from their water bottles.

“It’s so beautiful,” Bucky murmured, gazing around.

“Yeah, you kind of forget places like exist when you spend all your time in the city,” Tony agreed. “Just wait till we reach the ledge - the view will take your breath away.”

They began hiking once more, but now they were scrabbling over rock, climbing more than walking, getting higher and higher up the hill. In several places they had to give each other a hand, pulling each other up or holding one another steady as they maneuvered over a difficult section, and soon they were all breathing hard. Peter had thought he was fit but the backs of his thighs began to burn and he realised that despite all of the acrobatics and parkour he did whilst being Spider-Man, this was a muscle group that he rarely used - he wondered if he’d even be able to walk tomorrow. The way his new boots were rubbing on his heel, he figured that even if his muscles didn’t seize up too much, the blister he was sure to have would likely prevent him from being too active.

He was so busy concentrating on clearing the next obstacle, whether it be large rocks, fallen trees, or just steep, slippery mud, that Peter didn't realise that they were nearing the top of the hill. He pulled his eyes away from where they’d been watching where he was placing his feet and his mouth gaped open. They had reached the ledge Tony had spoken of and the ground fell steeply away to one side, allowing them to see for what felt like an eternity. The woods were a sea of green, the roof of the cabin visible far below where it clung to the side of the lake, and then the trees continued before Mount St Helens rose majestically into the air, kissing the low lying clouds.

“Pretty fucking majestic, hey,” Tony said, grinning out at the view.

“I’ll say,” Bucky said, his cheeks tinged pink from the exertion of the climb, and his eyes wide in wonder as he slipped the backpack off and dropped it to the ground, prompting the others to do the same.

As amazing as the view was, Peter thought that it couldn’t even compare to that of his lovers. They stood before him, exuding happiness, both of them so gorgeous that he wasn’t sure how it was actually possible that he’d found himself in a relationship with them. He still felt like a plain, nerdy kid, but for some reason Tony and Bucky found him worthy of their love and gave him their all. He was suddenly struck with the desire to show them just how grateful he was that they had given him a chance, despite the threat to both of them for breaking the law just to be with him.

Eyes still locked on the expanse of beautiful nature before them, Tony and Bucky were taken completely by surprise when Peter fell to his knees in front of them. Tony was just a little closer and the teen nuzzled his face into his crotch, his hands busy with the fastening to the utility pants the genius wore.

“Pete, what are you - oh!”

His question was cut off as Peter pulled Tony’s cock from his pants and swallowed him whole, sucking gently and feeling the member begin to harden and grow in his mouth. Fingers threaded into his hair and tugged on the roots and Peter looked up as much as he could, not quite able to see Tony but knowing he’d make a pretty sight for both of his lovers.

“Fuck, you should see the both of you,” Bucky said in a reverent voice. “I’ll never fucking get over how hot you look together.”

“God, you’re so good to me, baby boy,” Tony murmured to Peter, rocking his hips a little and pushing deeper into his mouth.

Peter hummed happily, grabbing Tony’s hands and moving them to the back of his head, urging him on.Tony knew instantly what he wanted and he began to thrust forcefully into the teen’s mouth, holding his head still. Peter went completely lax, letting his mouth drop open as wide as possible so his lover could use him. He waggled his tongue to slide along the shaft as it moved in and out, pleased when he heard the low growls and gasps from Tony as it flicked over the sensitive frenulum.

Peter was so caught up in pleasing Tony that he didn’t sense Bucky moving behind him, until he dropped down with his knees on either side of the teen’s legs and his arms circled his waist. A cool metal hand slipped under his shirt and teased the hot skin beneath and then it dipped lower, unbuttoning his jeans and worming down into his underwear. Peter gasped as it wrapped around his leaking cock, the temperature a stark contrast to his heated flesh, but that had always been part of the kink. Tony might have been the engineering master but Peter was his faithfull apprentice, and they both had an unholy appreciation for the shiny vibranium arm. Bucky was sure to use it often during sex even if it meant spending an hour later on cleaning dried semen out of the small, intricate moving parts.

Peter’s hips rocked forward and back, thrusting into Bucky’s palm before pressing his arse against the firm body behind him. Parts of the super soldier’s body were harder than others and he tried to grind himself against those specific parts but his movements were jerky and uncoordinated, distracted as he was by having Tony Stark’s perfect dick fucking his throat raw. He was also only just now realising that he had knelt on top of a rock which was digging rather painfully into his knee, but he tried his best to ignore that inconvenience so he could please both of his partners. Luckily, Tony found the entire act of face fucking highly arousing and he generally didn't take long to come at all. If the way he was barely pulling back now was any indication, he was rather close. Going so deep didn’t get him the same stimulation as from Peter just concentrating on the head and the bundle of nerves just below, but forcing the crown of his cock through the narrow opening to the teen’s throat was enough.

It was getting difficult to breathe now, even through his nose but Peter found that that only enhanced the sensation of Bucky’s metal hand rhythmically moving up and down his cock. He was too embarrassed to broach the subject of proper breath play with his lovers but moments like these, where Tony was chasing his release and not pulling back often enough for Peter to take a full breath of air were enough for now. In fact, he spilled over Bucky’s fingers first, his whole body convulsing and as he hunched over, he caused Tony’s cock to slip just a little lower down his throat. Tony cried out, his grip in Peter’s hair tightening as he chased his orgasm and soon salty liquid was shooting down the teen’s throat.

He pulled back, coughing and gasping weakly as he forced his throat muscles to work, swallowing down what was left. Tony dropped his his knees as well, his whiskey coloured eyes full of love as he wiped the corner of Peter’s mouth, swiping up a stray drop that lingered there. He then kissed Peter’s cheek and turned his attention to Bucky, who had pulled his cock out of his pants and was jerking himself off, using Peter’s come as lubricant. “Now that’s a pretty sight, wouldn’t you agree, Petey?”

The teen nodded. “Much better than anything else ‘round here.” he agreed, his voice hoarse and raspy.

Bucky’s eyes flickered between the faces of his partners, watching them watch him, and his hand moved faster and faster. “Shit, almost there,” he panted over the slick sound of his hand on his cock.

“Yeah, babe, come for us,” Tony urged him. “Wanna see you come, love.”

Bucky nodded, his eyes falling closed as he concentrated and then his face screwed up as pleasure washed over him. Not even thinking about it, Peter ducked down, his mouth open, catching most of his release, enjoying the way the warm liquid soothed his raw throat as he swallowed.

They knelt there, breathing heavily, regaining a little of their senses. “So,” Tony asked after a while, climbing to his feet and helping Peter stand, “what do you think of hiking?”

Peter offered his own hand to Bucky and hauled the soldier up and then turned a megawatt smile on the genius. “It was more enjoyable than I thought it would be,” he quipped. “In fact, I’d be happy to come again.”

"Hear that, babe?" Tony asked Bucky, waggling his eyebrows. "He's happy to come again."

Fixing the teen with a predatory gaze, Bucky stalked forward. "Well, if that's the case, what are we waiting for?"

And then he pounced.


	11. Twinkle, twinkle

“You really don’t have to do that,” Lizzy chided as she came into the kitchen carrying more dishes only to find Bucky elbow deep in sudsy water.

“I really don’t mind at all, ma’am,” he assured her. “Least I can do to say thanks for such a lovely meal.”

She added the dishes to the pile on the side of the sink and picked up a tea towel so she could start drying. The old woman then bumped her hip against his. “How many times have I told you not to call me ma’am, Bucky?”

He shrugged but didn't apologise. “I know times have changed but back when I was growin' up, it was a sign of respect.”

She laughed, a light, tinkle of a noise that made him smile. “For your elders, yes?”

He nodded.

“I hate to say it, but I’m younger than you, so maybe I should call you sir and you can call me kiddo?”

He choked on his spit and looked at her in horror, causing her to laugh again.

“Or maybe you just call me Lizzy and I’ll call you Bucky and we’ll leave it at that?”

He nodded, clearing his throat once more before managing to say, “Deal”

They worked in a comfortable silence for a while after that, the bright yellow light of the bulb above the sink glinting off the silver of the vibranium whenever the super soldier added a dish to the drying rack. It was nice, to not have to fill the silence with chatter and it gave Bucky a moment to reflect on the past week, which had been one of the best of his life so far but also one of the quickest.

Where had the time gone? It felt like everytime he blinked, a huge chunk of time had disappeared and suddenly they were at the halfway point of their vacation and if things continued on as they had, before they knew it, they’d be heading home. As much as he loved the life that he had now back in New York, being part of the Avengers, doing good, making up for his past crimes, Bucky didn't particularly want to go back. He wanted to remain here, to stay permanently in the cabin. It was their sanctuary, the place where they could be together without fear, without constant worrying. They’d been lucky so far in that everyone who had discovered their relationship had been accepting, but it would be naive to assume that that could last. In fact, their good luck should have run out long ago. Even once Peter turned eighteen and it was all officially legal and they could finally go public with their relationship, they wouldn’t have it easy. From how close they were and how obviously they loved each other, it wouldn’t be a stretch for people to correctly guess that they had been seeing each other for longer than they were legally allowed and that would bring its own complications.

He sighed, heavy and morose, and felt a hand on his lower back, rubbing soothingly. “It’ll be okay,” Lizzy said softly.

“How can you say that when you don’t even know what I’m worried about?” he asked, not unkindly.

“Because a love like yours? Nothing can ever stand in its way. I know what challenges you face and it’s not a stretch to guess that now that you’re on the homeward stretch, you’re feeling a bit blue about returning home. However, I’m certain that the love you share can overcome anything.”

He sniffed, keeping his eyes firmly on the dishwater since he knew that if he looked at Lizzy’s kind face, he’d likely burst into tears. “Are you some sort of mind reader?” he asked, confirming her suspicions without having to say the words out loud.

“No, darling heart, I’m just an old, nosy woman who has witnessed love in many forms over her lifetime.” Her voice took on a teasing tone. “One of my ancestors _was_ hanged during the Salem Witch Trials though so perhaps a little of her magic passed to me.”

He laughed, his mood lifting a little. “Maybe you could do a spell then that would stop Tony from hoggin’ all the blankets?”

“Slander!” a distraught voice cried from behind them. They both turned to see Tony there, clutching at his chest and his eyes wide in fake anguish. “I turn my back for a moment and you smear my good name with these lies! I thought you loved me, Bucky, but clearly I was wrong, wrong I tell you!”

“Is someone murdering a cat in here?” Peter asked, walking into the kitchen with some empty glasses.

“No, that’s just Tony yowling,” Bucky said, his eyes twinking.

“ _Yowling?_ ” Tony demanded.

Lizzy laughed. “I think perhaps it’s closer to shrieking.”

“ _Lizzy!”_ Tony shrieked. “Betrayed by everyone closest to me! Unable to turn away for fear of a knife between my shoulder blades.”

“The only reason I’ll shank you, son, is if you keep me from Lizzy’s pie any longer with this ruckus,” Ted said, joining Peter in the doorway.

Tony threw a hand over his forehead dramatically. “Another who would do me harm!”

Ted plucked the glasses from Peter’s hands and nudged him towards the genius. “Take him back to the dining room, would you, champ, before one of us strains an eyeball from rolling it too hard.”

Tony squawked indignantly as the teen led him from the room, but he dropped Ted a wink as he left, leaving the old man to shake his head as he laughed fondly. He placed the glasses down on the bench and smiled at Bucky. “You have no idea how good it is to see that boy happy. We didn’t get to see this playful side of him often, always too scared of his old man finding out, but now, it comes easy to him. The both of you are good for him.”

The super soldier inclined his head. “I appreciate you sayin’ that. It’s been good for him too, to see you both, to remember that not everything from his childhood was bad.” He looked away shyly, his eyes falling on his hands in the dishwater. “Do you think that maybe I could, uh, get your details so we can keep in touch? I know Tony can get lost in his head and loses track of time, so he’s not the best at keeping up with people, but maybe between Petey and I, we could? It’d be nice, I think, not only for Tony, but for us as well. You’ve both been so lovely and accepting and it means the world to us all.”

“Oh, sweetie, yes of course!” Lizza cried, pulling Bucky to her with a strength that took him by surprise. The old woman didn't seem to care that his hands were wet, just held him in a tight hug. “That’s a wonderful idea, thank you,” she said against his chest.

Bucky met Ted’s eyes above her head and was shocked to see the old man’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He nodded at the soilder and said in a raspy voice, “We’d both like that, son.” Ted cleared his throat then and in a more normal voice added, “Now would you leave those darn dishes so we can get on with dessert? Priorities, people!”

Lizzy pulled back and wiped her cheeks on her apron. “Best get the pie from the oven, Bucky - he’ll turn into a proper monster if he doesn’t get his sugar fix.” Shooing her husband from the kitchen, she began gathering spoons and bowls, and Bucky couldn't help but grin at how darn happy he was.

~~~~~

It wasn’t overly late when they left - despite her vivaciousness, Lizzy tired easily and so they bid the couple farewell before they overstayed their welcome. Bucky hugged the couple, a piece of paper with their phone numbers and email address already in his pocket and a container with leftover pie clutched in his metal hand. “Thank you so much for the lovely evening,” he said earnestly after Lizzy had pulled him in for an extra hug.

“Was our pleasure,” Ted told them. “We’d love to see you again before you go but only if you have the time. Last thing you want is a coupla old codgers ruining your vacation.”

“Don’t be silly, of course we’d love to see you again,” Tony assured them. “We’ll be in touch.”

With a final goodbye, the trio made their way out to the truck. It wasn’t a long walk back but even though Bucky and Tony had coaxed Peter out into the woods for a couple of more hikes, they both thought taking him for a jaunt at night would be pushing it a little too far. The soldier found it utterly adorable that Peter was so scared of bears and other wild animals when he was so strong that he’d likely have little problem fighting one off. If he dug around to the bottom of it he was sure that he’d find that Peter would be too scared to fight back for fear of hurting the bear more than anything else. That thought just made him love the plucky teen all the more and he wondered if it was medically possible to die from a heart so full of emotion that it burst?

Pushing aside his silliness, Bucky gave Peter a cheeky hoist up into the cab by way of groping his arse, who then got back at him by waiting till he’d climbed in and then he plonked himself down on the soldier’s lap. The trip down the Overton’s drive and then up the cabin’s drive wasn’t far and they wouldn’t be going fast so Bucky figured his arms around his lover would suffice for a seatbelt and he nuzzled the back of his neck.

“I had a really good time tonight,” Peter told them as Tony navigated down the dark track.

“Yeah?” Tony asked, smiling. “They’re great folks. I’ve always thought of them like grandparents.”

“Maybe we could have them over for dinner before we go? Return the favour by cooking for them?”

“Sure, baby. Maybe we can do a barbeque?”

“Do you still not trust us to cook after the chicken soup incident?” Bucky asked.

“Nope,” the genius replied, popping the p. “I love Ted and Lizzy too much to subject them to that.”

“Well that’s just rude,” he retorted, using one of Tony’s favourite comebacks.

“The truth hurts, Buckaroo,” Tony teased. “So, what do you two want to do tomorrow? Our days here are numbered so if there’s something you want to do, best mention it now so we can schedule it in.”

Bucky’s good mood vanished in an instant, his melancholy about their holiday coming to an end returning in full force. Luckily neither of his partners seemed to notice and Peter’s enthusiasm made up for the lack of response from the super soldier.

“We still haven’t been up to the volcano yet, so can we make sure that we do that before we go? And I checked the weather and it’s going to be much warmer the next couple of days so I don’t think that the water will be too cold to swim in. Oh, and I still need to buy May a souvenir so if we could go back into town so I can buy her a present that would be great.”

“Easy done, Petey,” Tony told him, swinging out onto the road for the short trip down to their own driveway. “What about you, babe?” he asked Bucky.

“That all sounds good to me,” he replied, trying to keep his depression from his voice.

“Nothing special you want to do?”

“‘S’long as I’m with you two, that’s all that matters. What about you?”

“Well, did either of you notice how clear the sky was tonight?”

“No,” Peter said, almost sheepishly. “I was too busy watching the woods for danger.”

“Well, take a look up when we get out of the car. I thought it would be nice to do a little stargazing out on the deck before bed?”

“That sounds awesome,” Peter cried, and Bucky couldn’t help but agree.

Once they were home, they dragged some blankets outside to ward off the chill of the evening and as soon as they were wrapped up, they settled down on the sun lounges that overlooked the lake. The view was simply amazing and Bucky stared up at the vast expanse above them, entranced by the sight. He reached out a hand to either side, and soon warm fingers slipped into his and he clung to Tony and Peter’s hands like they were anchoring him to the earth. He felt so small and inconsequential, looking up at the night sky, but their linked hands grounded him, like a tether between their hearts, reminding him that in the lives of the men to either side of him, there was nothing inconsequential about him.

Bucky was loved and cherished and needed.

He _belonged_.

They stared up at the sky in silence for a while but then a thought struck Bucky and he turned his attention to Tony. “You okay? Not too much?”

“Nah, I’m all good,” Tony told him, “otherwise I wouldn’t have suggested it. It’s different, ya know? The void that I saw when I went through that wormhole was _empty_ , with nothing but desolate space as far as the eye could see beyond the ships. This here is nothing like that.” He gave a squeeze of his fingers. “But thanks for checking. People seem to forget or to shrug it off as just another of my eccentricities.”

“Whoever so easily dismisses the signs of PTSD needs to be punched,” he said gruffly.

“Yeah, well, you old best friend was one of them,” Tony told him.

“In that case, I’ll let Peter punch him then since it’ll hurt more.”

Tony laughed as Peter happily agreed to punch Captain America, and Bucky clung to their hands a little bit tighter. They went back to staring at the night sky in comfortable silence, the sounds of frogs and an owl in the distance the only noises. It was comforting and relaxing and instead of feeling sad that their trip was almost up, Bucky just felt grateful that he got to spend this time with his partners. Soon Tony began telling them the stories of the stars and with the low murmur of his baritone in his ears, Bucky embraced the feeling of peace that washed over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a [moodboard to celebrate this series surpassing 200K](https://scarletmanuka1.tumblr.com/image/178072244956).  
> It's on my [Tumblr](https://scarletmanuka1.tumblr.com/) so if you're active on there, why not come say hello, drop me an ask if your curious about anything to do with this trip, or just geek out over pretty boys with me.


	12. A Lick of Sunshine

After sleeping in late, the first thing Peter did when he got up was to run to the sliding doors at the rear of the cabin and stick his head outside. Just as he’d thought from the glimpses of the bright sunshine he'd seen out the window - it was warm, bordering on hot and would be a perfect day for swimming. It had been almost painful, to be in such close proximity to such glistening turquoise waters but for the weather to not have been warm enough to take a dip. Sure, he probably could have anyway, but he wanted his lovers to join him and the conditions had to be perfect for Tony to brave the water.

He bounded over to the island bench and beamed at Tony, who had already brewed a pot of coffee and was leaning against the counter. “Morning,” he greeted him, kissing his cheek.

“Hey, baby,” the genius replied, his eyes crinkling as he smiled back. “You sleep okay?”

“I always do when I’m with you two.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“So, it’s pretty warm out today - do you want to go for a swim?” He tried to keep his puppy dog eyes in check since as much as he wanted Tony to join him, Peter also didn’t want to coerce him into doing something he really didn't want to do.

“Um, sure, I don’t see why not.”

Peter hugged him close and then jumped up onto one of the stools before he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Do you think Bucky will come in?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Awesome - I’m looking forward to seeing you both in swim trunks.”

Tony frowned at him. “Um...you see us naked, like, almost every time you see us. Seeing is in boardshorts seems like a step backwards.”

Peter shrugged. “I just think you guys will look especially hot in them and I like to perv on you.”

“You’re a strange boy.”

“But you love me!”

“Yes, yes I do.”

Peter grinned and gave Tony a quick kiss before he got up and popped some bread in the toaster. They both pottered around the kitchen, getting breakfast and soon the sliding door opened and Bucky stepped inside, looking sweaty and hot, clearly back from a run. “Morning,” Peter greeted him happily, tilting his head back for a kiss  when Bucky passed behind him.

“Hey, doll.”

“Did you enjoy your unnecessary physical exertion?” Tony asked, shuddering a little.

“Says the man I caught doing yoga when I woke up this morning.”

“That’s not exactly _exercise_ ,” Tony protested.

Bucky reached out and poked Tony hard in the stomach, one eyebrow raised. “That so? I didn't know you got abs like that from sitting on your butt all day.”

“Ow,” Tony whined, pulling up his shirt to rub at his stomach, conveniently showing off said abs whilst doing so. Peter unashamedly ogled him, his breakfast completely forgotten.

Bucky noticed Peter staring and laughed, then yanked the genius’ shirt down. “Don’t want drool all over the counter,” he explained, nodding towards the teen.

“Oh, there’ll be enough of that later since Peter wants us to go swimming today.”

“Oh? We going soon? If so, I’ll skip the shower until afterwards.”

Peter shoved the last piece of toast into his mouth and jumped to his feet. “‘ow ‘bout ‘’ow?” he asked around his mouthful.

Tony rolled his eyes but got to his feet. “Okay, baby, we can go swimming now.”

Peter lifted his arms in victory and then dashed off to the bedroom to get changed.

~~~~~~

His hands and feet had long turned into prunes, but Peter still stayed in the water. After a few tense moments when Tony first plunged into the still-cold lake water, his anxiety eased and he soon relaxed, playing and splashing with his partners. Bucky had grown tired of the water after about an hour and had gotten out, returning to the deck with an old paperback to sun himself while he read. Peter and Tony had dived around the pier footings, watching schools of fish swimming by and collecting different coloured stones from the lake bottom. So long as Tony was content to remain in the water, Peter would too, making the most of every moment spent with the genius.

“I’m gettin’ ice cream,” Bucky called out to them, standing up from the sun lounge and stretching, putting himself on display for them. “You two want some?”

“Nah, I’m good for now,” Peter replied.

“Maybe later,” Tony added.

The super soldier nodded and made his way inside the cabin, and Peter dived beneath the surface, worming his way through Tony’s legs. He stood up when he was only halfway through, taking Tony with him on his shoulders until he was standing before he tipped the man backwards, sending him plunging into the lake.

“You little shit!” Tony spluttered when he surfaced. “I’ll get you back for that!”

“Gotta catch me first!” Peter teased and began moving as fast as could away from Tony as he started to chase him.

Tony was fast through the water, but Peter was faster, always staying just a little too far ahead as he ducked and weaved to avoid his partner, giggling and laughing as they played. They ended up quite close to the edge of the decking, and Bucky emerged from the cabin with a bowl of Stark Raving Hazelnut ice cream just as Tony managed to get a hand around Peter’s ankle. He yanked him backwards, dragging him towards him and dunking his head under the water as he did so, and when he resurfaced, Peter called out to the soldier, “Bucky, help me! He’s trying to drown me.”

Bucky calmly lowered himself onto the sun lounge, legs to either side of it as he sat upright, watching them. “Nah, I don’t think I will,” he said casually, ignoring Peter’s shriek as Tony jumped up and pushed down on his shoulders, dunking him once more.

“You’re the worst boyfriend,” Peter spluttered as he tried unsuccessful to free himself from Tony’s grip.

Completely unconcerned, Bucky shrugged and lifted a spoonful of ice cream to his mouth, sucking it completely clean as he pulled the utensil from his mouth. “I can live with that.”

“You’re the best, Bucky Bear!” Tony crowed, before ducking down and sticking his tongue in Peter’s ear, causing him to shriek once more.

The two in the water continued to play fight as the super soldier continued to eat his dessert. Peter couldn’t help but notice the way he ever so slowly dragged the spoon from between his plump lips, or the way his pink tongue would sometimes chase after it to languidly lick over the curved surface of the back. Tony also appeared distracted by the way their partner was eating the ice cream and their attempts to get one over the other became more and more half-hearted as they watched. Soon, they were both just standing in the shoulder deep water, staring at the ex-assassin as he sucked melting ice cream into his mouth, his eyes already back on his paperback.

“Christ, his mouth should be outlawed,” Tony muttered.

“He’s gotta know what he’s doing, yeah?” Peter asked. “I mean, no one actually curls their tongue like that when eating ice cream, do they?”

“I don’t _think_ so. I mean, I’ve seen him curl it when he’s eating you out, but not when he’s eating _food_.”

“Is it odd that I’m kinda jealous of the ice cream?”

“Not if it means I’m not crazy for being jealous of the spoon.”

“I’m so fucking hard right now.”

“Same here, baby, same here.”

They kept on watching as Bucky put his sinful mouth to work, licking and slurping at the ice cream, and despite growing cold from no longer moving in the chilly water, it didn't have any effect on how hard their erections were.

It was Tony who finally saw sense. “Petey?”

“Yeah, Tony?”

“Why the actual fuck are we still in the water when Bucky and that tongue of his are over there?”

Peter frowned. “I...I have no fucking idea.”

“Let’s remedy that, shall we?”

“Yeah, yeah, sounds like a plan.”

They hurried over to the metal ladder that descended into the lake from the decking and after a brief scuffle over who got up it first, Tony won and he began climbing out. Peter couldn't even be mad about that because he got a lovely view of Tony’s arse as he climbed, the wet material of his swimming trunks clinging to his well rounded cheeks and even giving the slight impression of his balls as well, since none of them had bothered with underwear under their shorts.

It was only when they were both standing directly next to Bucky, shivering and dripping, that he even looked up. “Um, are you two right there?”

“No,” Tony said.

“Not at all,” Peter agreed.

“Can I help you with something?” the soldier asked.

“Why yes, actually, you can,” Tony said. He tugged Peter around until he was standing in front of Tony, facing the genius so his backside was to Bucky. With one tug, the wet trunks were dropping to the ground, leaving Peter completely exposed and causing him to shiver in anticipation. Tony leaned around the teen and took hold of his cheeks, pulling them apart, displaying his entrance for Bucky to see. “Lick,” Tony demanded, his hard cock pressing deliciously against Peter’s.

“Oh, is that how it is?” Bucky asked archly.

“That’s how it is,” Tony told him.

“Oh, if I must.” Bucky’s tone was teasing, and though Peter couldn’t see his face, he knew exactly what expression would be plastered across his handsome features. His eyes would be crinkled, his lips would be twisted into a smirk, and his pupils would likely be blown wide.

Something warm and wet swiped across the teen’s hole and his brain promptly shut down, completely unable to process anything beyond, _fuck, fuck, fuck, that feels so good, ah, so good, more, need more, fuck, Bucky, so good, more, more more._

Tony kept up a constant stream of praise for both of them, urging Bucky on, and supporting Peter as his legs trembled so much that he had trouble standing. Bucky had worked him open now and was sticking his tongue straight out so it was like a rod, plunging it inside of Peter over and over, fucking him with it. While he ravished Peter’s arse, Tony had dropped a hand and was tugging on his cock, twisting his palm backwards and forwards around the head of it, squeezing _just the way_ Peter liked it. Tension was building in his balls and at the base of his cock and Peter knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer. He clutched harder to Tony’s arms, burying his face in the crook of his shoulder, whimpers and moans falling from his mouth.

Then Bucky reached up and cupped his balls with his metal hand and Peter couldn't help but cry out as his knees buckled as his orgasm washed over him. Tony held him steady, while Bucky pulled his tongue free from his arse and twirled it teasingly around the fluttering muscle, boarding on just this side of too much.

Once he was done, Bucky pulled Peter down onto his lap and held him close, pressing soft kisses to his lips while Tony found a towel and wiped his hands clean. “Thank you,” Peter whispered quietly to his lovers.

“Our pleasure,” Tony assured him, sitting himself down next to them on the sun lounge.

“Shit, Tony, you’re freezing,” Bucky said, as he wrapped one arm around his shoulders.

Tony shrugged but Peter looked to Bucky, who nodded, and then they were on their feet and urging Tony inside. “Come on, let’s head to bed and get you warmed up,” Peter said, holding out a hand for the genius to take.

“Oh, and how will you do that?” Tony asked.

“I thought that I'd return the favour,” Peter replied, licking his lips in what he hoped was a lascivious manner.

It seemed to have worked because Tony was almost running, dragging them along behind him, crying, "Last one there is a rotten egg!" and Peter couldn’t help but laugh, loving that despite the age difference, all three of them loved to be playful.


	13. Erupt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...that's enough fluff for now. Let's get the plot moving, shall we?

The helicopter banked, tilting them over as it swung around, following the curve of the valley below and suddenly the volcano came into full view. It was a sight that stole Bucky’s breath away, and he stared in awe at the majestic mountain before them, the rays of the setting sun peeking out from behind it like a halo.

Bucky may be stubborn but he knew when he was wrong, and he made a mental note to apologise to Tony later. They had spent the afternoon up at the visitor centre, watching the documentary films about the eruption, and immersing themselves in the history. They’d all been interested in a helicopter tour over the valley and crater, but Tony had insisted that they hire out a private tour for sunset. The tours run from the centre stopped well before the sun went to bed for the night and the genius was adamant that that would be the perfect time to go. The normal helicopter tours were expensive as it was but Bucky balked at the price the pilot negotiated with Tony for the special tour. He’d tried to insist that it really wasn’t necessary, and even Peter was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot as Tony and the pilot haggled, but their partner insisted. “Trust me,” he’d said, dropping them a wink, “it’ll be worth it. Besides, you know I have more money than I could ever spend in a lifetime - don’t try and stop me from spending some of it to treat you two.”

Tony had been right. The view was incredible; the pink and orange hues of the sky painted the few remaining patches of snow on the crater edges a rainbow of pastels, and the steaming vents were even more pronounced against the setting sun. They circled the crater, the pilot explaining about the lava dome and how big it was, and Bucky risked reaching out and giving Tony’s hand a squeeze in thanks. Peter, being the lightest of the three, was in the front, and the soldier hoped that the pilot would be so intent on flying the chopper that he wouldn’t notice the small show of affection. Tony looked over and beamed at him, and the way his face lit up was more beautiful than a million sunsets combined.

Eventually they made their way back down the valley, following the path of destruction that was still evident decades later, until they reached the landing pad. Tony took one look at the smiles on Bucky and Peter’s faces and tipped the pilot an exorbitant amount extra and then they were heading back to the truck, ready to go back to the cabin.

“That was amazing,” Peter cried as they climbed into the truck, the teen sitting in the middle once more. “How crazy is Spirit Lake? And those elk that we saw were _tiny_ from how high we were up but then the lava dome looked tiny as well but he said that the walls of the crater were over a thousand feet high so the dome really is massive, and did you see the steam? Like, it’s totally still active and wow, imagine if it erupted while we were here? That would be so scary but kinda cool as well, so long as we didn’t get buried under a pyroclastic flow or anything, and did you see what I got for May? It’s a tiny bottle of ash which is probably a little morbid but I still think it’s cool.”

Bucky grinned and flung an arm around the teen’s shoulders while he continued to ramble about how awesome their tour had been. It may have been a reminder of how young Peter was, but Bucky loved his enthusiasm and how excited he got about things like this. It was just _so Peter_ , full of youthful exuberance and Bucky adored it.

They were almost back at the cabin when a ray of purple light lit up the horizon in the distance. The tyres squealed as Tony pulled to a stop on the shoulder of the deserted highway, quickly undoing his belt and jumping from the car. Bucky and Peter were out almost as fast and they watched as several more beams followed in pulses.

“What the hell is that?” Bucky muttered.

“I’m not sure but I don’t like it,” Tony replied.

“It’s a lot like the light I’ve been seeing back in New York,” Peter said thoughtfully, and he was so intent on watching the horizon for more of the purple glow that he didn’t realise that both Tony and Bucky had turned to him with looks of concern and astonishment.

“Excuse me?” Tony demanded. “What do you mean, you’ve seen this before?”

“Only a couple of times,” Peter said, and then he noticed the glares. “Um, what?”

“Were you intending to share this with the class?” Tony asked snippily.

“I wanted to find out what it was before I asked for help,” the teen protested. “I figured you wouldn’t take me seriously if I just told you I’d seen some random purple light.”

“Really, Peter?” Bucky said.

“For crying out loud, Pete, you’re an official Avenger in training,” Tony snapped, going to the truck and yanking open the door. “If you told us, _any of us_ , about a purple light that looks suspiciously like an _energy weapon_ , we would have investigated!”

“I’ve only seen it a couple of times!”

“When was the last time?”

“Um, I dunno, maybe a week or so before we came here? It was that night during the storm, on the rooftop, Bucky.”

“You saw it when I was out with you and you didn't point it out?” Bucky tried, he tried so damn hard, but he couldn’t hide the disappointment he felt at that.

“I’m sorry, I just didn't want to bother anyone with it until I knew more,” Peter told them in a small voice.

Tony extracted a small, metal suitcase, and Bucky recognised it as his portable suit. He placed it on the ground and kicked it open and seamlessly the suit constructed itself around him. Tony had been working with Helen Cho with her nanite technology, hoping to one day be able to have the suit grow from a small store of nanites but he was still a long way from that, so he made sure to take this suit with him everywhere. Once the helmet clicked into place, the eyes glowed as the arc reactor tech kicked in and Tony spoke in the tinny voice through the comms. “Bucky, take Peter back to the cabin while I investigate.” He picked up the keys and tossed them to the super soldier.

“Wait, no, I want to come too!” Peter cried.

“No, you stay here,” Tony instructed.

“But, Tony, please, I’m the one who has been investigating this!”

“And we’re not in Queens now,” Iron Man said. “You don’t have your suit and even if you did, you couldn’t keep up with me by swinging from tree to tree.”

“But you could carry me!”

“Peter, _no_. Just go back to the cabin with Bucky while I see if I can find the source of it.”

“But -”

“ _I said no!_ Dammit, Peter, just do what you’re told. I’ll be back soon and once I am, we _are_ going to be talking about this and you’d better have a damn good explanation for why you kept this to yourself, one better than the crappy excuse you just gave me.” And with that, Tony looked to the sky and took off.

They watched as the suit disappeared into the dark night and then Bucky turned to the teen. “Come on, let’s get back.”

Peter was standing as still as a statue, his eyes on the now empty sky but he eventually nodded and turned back to the truck. He tried to surreptitiously wipe his eyes but not much got past Bucky so he knew Peter was upset. Not knowing what to say right now, Bucky just reached over and gave his knee a squeeze and then turned the ignition over and pulled back onto the road.

Peter didn't speak a word the entire way back to the cabin, and made to go right to bed once they got inside. Bucky caught his arm and tugged him down into the living room. “Come sit with me,” he said softly, leading Peter down to one of the couches.

Peter did as he was told but he was stiff, on edge, even after Bucky pulled him into his arms. “It’ll be okay, doll,” he tried to assure him.

The teen grunted in reply.

“I know he seemed angry but mostly it’s because he worries about you taking on bad guys by yourself,” he continued, trying to comfort Peter. “I’m sure we’ll get it all sorted out.”

“He treats me like I’m a child,” Peter finally muttered. “Like I can’t ever do anything right.”

“Come on, you know that’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? Would he have spoken to _you_ like that?”

“To be fair, I probably would have mentioned the weird purple lights in the sky sooner,” Bucky said.

“I wanted something concrete before telling you guys,” Peter said, petulantly. “I didn’t want to waste your time.”

“You would never have wasted our time, sugar.”

“Whatever.”

The teen continued to sulk and Bucky finally gave up trying to make conversation while they waited for Tony to come back. It was about an hour later that they heard the familiar sounds of the thrusters in the air and then there was a heavy thud as he landed on the decking. A minute later, Tony walked in the back door carrying his case. He placed it up on the island bench and stomped down into the sunken lounge, throwing himself onto an armchair and running a hand through his hair. “I finally pinned down the place where the light was but by the time I got there, it was deserted. I could tell that several people met there, then left in two cars, and I managed to follow the trail of one for a while but lost it when they hit the main roads so we got nothing.” He sounded utterly dejected.

“Do you wanna call Rhodes and alert him?” Bucky asked.

Tony thought about this and then shook his head. “Nah, probably no point. We’re only here for a couple more days so I’ll look into it more when we get back home.” He stared at Peter, who was steadfastly studying one of the paintings on the wall, but it was only when he cleared his throat pointedly that the teen glanced over to the genius. “I’ll need approximate coordinates of where you saw this light before, and the dates and times as closely as you can remember. Pull data from Karen if you need, but I need as much information as you can give me so I can take it to the Council.”

“So, what?” Peter asked. “You’re just gonna waltz in and take over? Just like that?”

Tony’s eyes narrowed. “Considering I’m the one of the two of us who has signed the Accords and has the experience to investigate properly, yeah, Pete, I am. Just like that.”

Peter huffed and turned away, muttering to himself.

“What was that?” Tony asked, his tone dangerous.

“Nothing,” Peter replied sullenly.

“What the hell is your problem tonight, Peter?”

At this, Peter twisted on the couch until he was facing Tony, his normally soft brown eyes flashing with anger. “My problem? My problem is _you_ , Tony, and the way you treat me like some stupid kid who has no idea what he’s doing!”

“Because you _don’t_ know what you’re doing!” Tony fired back.

“I’ve been Spider-Man for years now - it’s not like I don’t have any experience!”

“This isn’t a mugger or some old woman who needs help crossing the street, Pete! From the looks of it, someone is using stolen alien technology to make weapons and they’re selling them to other crooks. It’s a little out of your league.”

“Out of my league?”

“Yeah, Peter, out of your league. Stick to being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man who helps the little guy.”

“What? Like a boy scout in a suit?”

“Exactly like that,” Tony confirmed, ignoring the sharp bite in the teen’s voice. “Like a boy scout in a million dollar suit, that _I_ gave you so quit arguing with me and do what you’re told.”

“I was Spider-Man before your million dollar suit, Tony, and I’ll still be him without it!” Peter shouted.

“Yeah, well, good luck taking on a villain of this caliber in that damn onesie you used to wear,” Tony spat.

“You know what, how about you take your suit and shove it up your fucking ar-” Peter had jumped to his feet, face red and eyes spilling over, but Bucky caught him and shushed him.

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” he said, looking sternly between his two partners. “I think what we _all_ need is some time alone to calm down before someone says something that they’ll regret. Peter, you take the spare room at the end of the hall, I’ll take the one in the middle, and Tony, you sleep in our room.”

“You’re making us sleep apart?” Tony asked, shocked.

“Yes, sweetheart, I am. You two won’t sleep if you’re sharing a bed tonight and you’ll both keep me up as well, so separate rooms. Once everyone has had some time to calm down, we can revisit this in the morning.”

“Fine, whatever,” Peter said, pulling out of Bucky’s grasp and making to leave.

“Uh uh, not so fast,” Bucky said, grabbing hold of his arm. “I know you’re angry at each other, but I want you both to give each other a kiss goodnight and say ‘I love you’. This is not negotiable.”

They both saw how serious Bucky was and nodded, then pecked one another on the lips. “Love you,” Peter muttered.

“Love you too, baby,” Tony said, his voice much softer.

“Can I go to bed now?” Peter demanded.

Bucky hugged him tightly and kissed his temple. “I love you so much, doll. Go and get some sleep. Night.”

Peter pulled away as soon as Bucky released him and headed for the spare room. They watched him go and as soon as he was out of sight, Tony opened his mouth to say something but Bucky cut him off before he could start. “Save it for the morning, Tony.” He pulled the genius in and gave him a soft kiss, murmuring, “I love you,” before he too left the room.

He hated his partners being at odds with one another, but he sincerely hoped that taking the night to cool down would help. He could see where both of them were coming from, but the last thing he wanted was to get in the middle of it and appear to be taking sides, so Bucky decided to play the role of mediator. With three of them in the relationship, it would be too easy to take someone’s side, even once and then change the entire dynamic forever so this really was the best way for everyone. He sighed and undressed, climbing into the unfamiliar bed and ignoring the ache in his chest at being separated from his lovers by choice. Trying desperately to cling to that fact, knowing that what he was doing was right, Bucky closed his eyes and tried to sleep, pushing aside his worry for the following morning.

A short while later, while he still struggled to find sleep, the sounds of muffled sobs drifted through the wall separating Peter’s room from his. Instantly, Bucky’s resolve crumbled. Yes, he was trying not to look like he was playing favourites, but he could never ignore genuine distress from one of his lovers. He got to his feet and pulled his clothes back on and made his way into the hallway.

Tony was standing in the doorway to his own room, eyes glued to Peter’s door, worry and regret clouding his face. Bucky met his eyes and nodded towards Peter’s door, indicating he was going to go and comfort him. “Thank you,” the genius whispered. “Take care of him, Buck?”

“I will,” he promised.

Tony nodded and then, looking like it was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, he turned and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Bucky swallowed hard before knocking gently onm Peter’s door. “It’s me, doll - can I come in?”


	14. Lonely hearts during lonely nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a few of you seem a little confused over the timeline, so I'm going to clear that up for everyone. It's my bad - I covered in in Tangled Webs and haven't tagged or mentioned it since, but that was a loooong time ago so it would have been useful to revisit it (I know how confusing it can get when you read a hundred different fics, and it's hard to keep the AU timelines in order).  
> Okay, so this story diverted from canon after the events of Civil War. Homecoming and Infinity War never happened. In Tangled Webs I made Peter a year older than canon, so he was 16 when he got together with our boys when he would have been 15 if we'd continued on into Homecoming.  
> So Pete has been Spider-Man for several years now but he's never fought the Vulture, hasn't been snapped, didn't go out with Liz, none of that. We'll be covering some of those things soon, in this AU, so with an IronWinterSpider spin on things.  
> I hope this has helped and sorry for any confusion.

Somewhere to the east, the sun was just peeking over the horizon, causing the black of night to turn into the murky shadows that preceded dawn proper. Tony dully noted the change, having been awake and staring out into the darkness the entire night. Once Bucky had calmed Peter and the teen had fallen asleep, the super soldier had slipped in to check on Tony, holding him close and offering silent comfort. Tony had sent him away not long after, telling him that he should be there in case Peter woke, and after a concerned look, Bucky had left, leaving the genius to stew in his thoughts.

He felt terrible - Tony hated it when he upset Peter. They hadn't had a fight this bad since the one after the incident with Rogers and Tony had almost broken his sobriety streak. Normally they all got along extremely well with few tensions - the benefit of there being three of them he guessed. There was always someone to play referee and divert things before tempers flared, and the fact that they all led such busy lives probably helped as well. When time together was precious, there wasn’t any to spare for petty arguments and bickering. Of course, when they _did_ argue, it felt all the more painful because it was so rare.

Tony knew that he’d overreacted. Peter hadn’t kept the information from him for malicious purposes - he’d simply been waiting to gather more evidence. Of course, now that he was officially affiliated with the Avengers, he did have an obligation to report such things, but Tony should have left that discussion to Rhodey, bumped it up the chain of command, He shouldn’t have snapped at his partner, but it had stung, it really had, having Peter keep things from him. It was too much like what used to happen with the old Avengers, with Captain Spangles and his band of merry men.

Tony knew it happened, even when he’d been so sure that he’d been accepted as part of their little family. The others had their little in jokes, their cryptic sayings that spoke of previous discussions and conversations; ones that Tony had not been part of. They sprinkled the conversation liberally with them, all sharing knowing looks while Tony was left in the dark, trying to read between the lines, to keep up. Barton and Romanov would have entire conversations with looks alone, and when Tony tried to take part, he would receive a look of disdain or an eyeroll in return. When the group had grown with the addition of The Witch and Wilson, it just became more and more obvious that he was out of the loop, not part of the cool kid’s gang.

To be fair, they hadn’t kept from him information pertinent to missions; it was always personal stuff, little moments from their shared living arrangements, but the exclusion hurt nonetheless. It was a constant reminder that Iron Man was recommended, but Tony Stark was not. He covered his hurt with snark and sarcasm and snippiness, projecting a mask that said he didn’t care, that he was above them all anyway and didn’t _need_ to be included. But inside it stung and he would retreat to lick his wounds and distract himself by building them more gadgets, more armour, more weapons, just _more_ , hoping that perhaps with the gifts would come acceptance.

Intellectually, Tony knew that the two situations were entirely different, but of course, as soon as he heard that Peter of all people had been keeping secrets, his brain had gone into protection mode. It was an automated response by now, something that he found he had little control over - he instantly lashed out so he wouldn’t get even more hurt but instead he’d hurt Peter instead.

The thought of his baby boy so upset made Tony’s throat ache, tearless sobs that tried to rip from his body but he kept them inside, knowing that he deserved the sting, deserved to suffer for making one of the loves of his life cry. He didn't deserve Bucky’s comfort, and he didn't deserve Peter’s forgiveness, all he deserved was suffering. And so he stared out the window as the light of dawn slowly crept across the sky, and tried not to think about the cold mattress beside him, and let the pain wash over him.

The sun had fully risen when he heard movement from down the hall. A door opened, there was the murmur of voices, and then two pairs of footsteps padded down the hall. They paused outside the room, but then Tony heard the deep rumble of Bucky’s whisper and they continued on, moving into the main part of the cabin. He whimpered a little as another needle of pain stung at his heart, but he stayed where he was, ignoring the urge to run to Peter, to throw himself at the teen’s feet and beg for forgiveness. Tony deserved to suffer and he wouldn’t beg his way out of it.

The sun rose to the point that it was shining directly in the bedroom window and Tony pulled the covers up over his face, to block out the blinding light. His pity party was best enjoyed in the dark, thank you very much. The air beneath the blanket was heavy and old, suffocating and stifling, and he struggled to breathe, but he resolutely kept his head hidden, drawing out the discomfort as was his due. As his body struggled for fresh, oxygen rich air, his breaths became shorter and sharper, his chest burned, and his head grew fuzzy. Still, he stayed there, punishing himself, not caring as his lungs screamed for air, just taking comfort in the way that his entire focus narrowed down to the need for oxygen as he gasped for breath, not allowing himself to think of anything else.

Light suddenly streamed across his face as the blankets were ripped back and suddenly there were strong arms around him, cradling him close as he dragged in deep lungfuls of air.

“Tony, Tony, what were you doing? Oh, God, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” The voice, as well as the arms, were Peter’s and the genius choked out a sob as he buried his face in the teen’s chest.

“Dammit, you were right, doll, we shoulda checked on him earlier,” came Bucky’s voice from the doorway, accompanied by the smell of bacon and eggs, and Tony chanced a glance over to him to see the soldier holding a tray laden with three plates of breakfast.

“I’m so sorry,’ Peter said again, and Tony shook his head.

“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who’s sorry.” His voice was raw and raspy.

“No, Tony, I need to apologise - I should have told you when I first saw that damn purple light. We’re not supposed to have any secrets from each other, and I should have told you. I’m sorry, truly sorry.”

“I...thank you, Petey, that really means a lot to me,” Tony said, feeling his heart rate begin to slow as his body got the air it needed and the comfort it craved. “I’m sorry I yelled at you - I was way out of line. Rhodey is our team lead, not me, so he’s the only one who can reprimand anyone for stuff like that. I’m sorry I lashed out, I didn’t mean to upset you. God, Petey, I’m so sorry.” The sob escaped before he could hold it back and Tony dissolved into tears.

The bed dipped as Bucky joined them and pulled them both to him. Peter rubbed Tony’s back soothingly but the dampness on the back of Tony’s neck said that he was crying too. Their soldier just held them close, whispering comforting words of love until they had cried themselves out.

“How ‘bout some breakfast before it goes cold?” Bucky said softly, letting go of them to stretch across to where he’d placed the tray on the bedside table. He looked down at the the food and added, “Um, well, _colder_.”

“Sure,” Tony agreed, not really hungry but willing to eat since his lovers had made it for him; _Peter_ had made it for him, even after the way he’d treated him.

They settled back against the headboard and Bucky passed over the plates before joining them, dropping a kiss to Tony’s cheek as he did so. “You okay, sweetheart?”

Tony shrugged. “I will be,” was the best he could manage.

Peter balanced his plate on his lap and ate one handed, his free hand resting on Tony’s thigh, and the simple contact made Tony’s heart clench in his chest. He had to wipe away some stray tears, but when Peter looked over in concern, he just offered him a small smile.

“Are you still mad at me?” Peter asked softly, looking down at his plate and toying with his eggs.

“I wasn’t ever really mad at you, baby,” Tony told him. “I just...it’s hard to explain, but I was used to people hiding things from me and so as a defence mechanism, I would lash out to stop myself from getting hurt. I know you weren’t doing it to deliberately hurt me, I _know_ that, but I guess old habits die hard.”

Peter’s eyes narrowed. “The Rogues?”

“Yeah, yeah, them.”

The teen snarled, his hands clenching into fists. “I want to fucking kill them all for how much they’ve hurt you!”

Tony gingerly tried to free his leg from Peter’s grasp, keeping his face as blank as possible to hide how much it had hurt. The teen had obviously not realised he was still resting his hand against Tony’s thigh when he’d gotten mad, and he’d squeezed hard enough that it was going to leave a bruise. His fork had been in his other hand and it was now bent in half. Bucky reached over to relieve him of the now useless utensil, causing Peter to come back to himself.

“Shit, sorry.” He looked down to where Tony was rubbing his thigh. “Fuck! Tony, I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”

“It’s all good, baby, I swear.”

Peter groaned and tipped his head back, smacking it on the headboard. “Why is it I’m always messing things up, no matter how good my intentions are?”

“Hey, it’s okay, Petey, I promise. You know I love it when you get all protective over me.”

“But I _hurt_ you!”

“And yesterday I hurt _you_ by being a dick. I forgive you, you have nothing to be sorry for, okay?”

The teen nodded and then reached over to put his plate on the table. “I’m so tired,” he said with a sad smile and then studied Tony’s face. “I’m betting you got just even less sleep than I did last night?”

Tony shrugged. “Don’t sleep well in an empty bed.”

From his other side, Bucky groaned. “I’m sorry, that’s my fault!”

“Could we maybe all just go back to bed?” Peter asked, shyly. “Together?”

Tony thought that was the best damn idea he’d ever heard. He passed his plate to Bucky, who deposited them on his table, and Peter jumped up to close the curtains, blocking out the pesky sun, and then they were all getting under the covers. Bucky spooned Tony from behind, and the genius held open his arms, Peter slipping into his embrace and snuggling up close to him. “I love you,” Tony whispered to him, knowing that it wouldn’t make everything suddenly okay and that they would still have to talk more about their argument, but settling for it right now.

“Love you, too,” Peter whispered back. “I really am sorry.”

“So am I, but for now, let’s just get some sleep, yeah?”

He felt Peter nod against him, and Bucky snuggled in just that little it closer, and Tony’s body finally succumbed to his exhaustion and he felt himself drifting off to sleep, the bed no longer empty, and the pain in his heart slowly ebbing away as well.


	15. Bear Claws

Peter stood in the small gift shop, browsing the display in front of him for another gift for May, when he noticed movement in the next aisle over. He looked up and saw that it was Tony, who was looking at the volcano themed potholders. He gave the man a tentative smile and received a warm one in return. Tony then held up one of the potholders, which had a lava print on it and said, “This kinda looks like her meatloaf that one time. Maybe May would like it?”

Peter snorted, even though the joke fell kinda flat, not wanting to make things even more awkward than they already were. They’d talked some more when they’d woken from their nap, but Bucky had insisted that they not just rehash the same thing over and over, but simply explain, apologise, and move on. Peter knew that it was good advice and he really did forgive Tony for snapping at him, but it didn’t stop him from feeling horrible for making his lover upset in the first place. Tony said he forgave him too and so he tried to move on, but it was there, hovering silently in the air between them now, and now they were both being extra cautious and careful with one another. Their easy going banter had ceased and they both seemed to be analysing every thought thrice before voicing it aloud. In an attempt to shake them from their funk, Bucky had suggested that they take a run into town so Peter could do his gift shopping, and they could pick up the groceries they’d need to cook dinner for the Overton’s the following evening. It worked somewhat, providing a nice distraction, but still, it wasn’t the same as it had been the first time they’d gone into town. Peter lamented the loss of their their casual affection and prayed that they’d soon to back to normal, but they had so few arguments that he didn't really have any idea of how long it would take.

Sighing, Peter picked up a set of wooden bear claw shaped salad spoons and flipped them over, absently looking for a price tag. He knew that May would be happy with whatever touristy tat her got for her, but he wanted it to be somewhat practical. Their apartment was only small and so they tried not to clutter it up with junk if they could help it. The small bottle of ash from the volcano was bad enough, so he wanted to get something that she could actually use as well. Plus, he really should bring something back for Ned and Michelle. He wondered if a couple gift would be appropriate or if it would just lead to him getting a thump over the back of the head by Michelle. Maybe separate gifts would be best…

“Have any luck?” Bucky asked, coming to stand next to him, bumping their hips together but refraining from showing any more affection than that.

“No, not yet.” He looked around the store hopelessly. “I really suck at buying gifts for people.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I’ve always been pretty happy with the ones you’ve gotten me, and I know Tony likes his as well.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, like, the gifts I get you two are more meaningful...I mean, not that I don’t put in a lot of thought for other people, but for you guys I really do.”

Bucky quirked a brow at him and the corner of his lip twitched, like he was trying to refrain from laughing. “Considering how much you’re agonising over the gift for May, I’d _hate_ to see you in action buying for Tony or I.”

Peter thumped him on the arm. “Don’t’ tease, you bully.”

Bucky laughed and held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine, I’ll stop. There’s plenty of other gift shops, maybe one of the others will have something, hmm?”

Of course, the other stores in town sold almost exactly the same stuff, so an hour later (and the fifth gift shop later) Peter was stood holding the same pair of salad spoons and wondering if he should just get them and call it a day.

“I think she’d like them,” Tony said softly from beside him.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, and it might encourage her to make more salads. You can’t burn salads. Not easily, anyway.”

Peter’s laugh at this was more genuine than for the last quip and he suddenly wished that they were back at the cabin where they would have some privacy. If there was anything that he had learned from Tony’s history, it was that there was no guarantee of tomorrow and you had to make the most of today. He looked around and, seeing no one in the close vicinity, reached out and lay a finger on the genius’ wrist. “We’re good, aren’t we?”

The look Tony gave him in return was so full of love and affection that Peter thought his heart might combust. “Yeah, baby, we’re good.”

It was that gentle assurance, in a pokey tourist trap in a small mountain town that did it for Peter. The weight that had settled on his shoulders since the previous evening lifted and he suddenly felt like everything was back to normal. He beamed at Tony and made the decision to get the salad spoons for May, and also grabbed two random snow globes for his friends, over souvenir shopping now and just wanting to get back. “I’m just gonna go pay for these and then maybe we can head back to the cabin?”

“I think Bucky wants to grab lunch at the diner first but he can probably be persuaded to eat at home if you really want.”

“Nah, it’s all good. After all he’s done for us since last night, he deserves to decide where we eat lunch.”

“Alright, well I’ll go round him up and meet you once I’ve found him.”

“Okay, Tony. I think he went outside to look at the display in the storefront next door.”

Tony nodded and headed for the exit and Peter took his purchases to the front counter to pay, so busy watching Tony leave that he literally ran into the back of someone. “I’m so sorry!” he gasped, only just managing to keep a grip on the glass snow globes.

“That’s oka - wait, _Peter_? What are you doing here?”

“Liz?” he squealed, staring in shock at the girl. “Um, I’m staying here on vacation. What are _you_ doing here?”

His teammate smiled at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Same. Here with my mom and dad. Who are you here with? Your aunt?”

“Oh, no, I’m, um, here as part of my ah, my Stark Internship.”

“Really? No way!” She sounded part impressed and part awed.

“Yeah, uh, Mr Stark was really happy with some work that I did for him a while back so he kinda surprised me with this trip as a reward.”

“That’s really cool! Have you had fun?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s been great.”

“Excuse me, sir, but can I help you?” the older lady behind the counter said in a prissy voice., looking pointedly at the items in his arms. “It’s just, there’s a queue.”

Peter looked over his shoulder and noticed that two other people were waiting to be served. Blushing, he thrust the items at the lady behind the counter and stammered at Liz, “Sorry, I’ll just be a second.”

Once he’d paid, and the grumpy server had reluctantly wrapped the globes in tissue wrap, they moved out of the way of the other customers, pausing in an empty aisle to chat. “So what have you been up to? You’re staying in the area?” Liz asked.

“Oh, um, lots of stuff, mostly things out of my comfort zone, like hiking, stuff like that.” He didn't think it would be appropriate to mention all of the sex…

“Hiking?” Liz furrowed her brows. “I didn't peg Tony Stark for the hiking kind.”

“Me either, but I guess you learn something new everyday, hey? Some of the other Avengers are here too and they like hiking as well.”

“Wow, it’s like Superhero Summer camp!” she exclaimed. “What other ones are here?”

“Oh, well, there’s uh, oh, here’s one now - um, Bucky Barnes,” Peter sidestepped, hoping that having Liz meet Bucky would prevent her from asking who else had come along which would force him to lie. Bucky paused as he re-entered the store, taking stock of the situation.

“Hey, Pete,” he said, looking to his teammate. “Liz, right? We met in DC.”

Liz smiled but it was a little forced and Peter recalled that everytime she had met Bucky in DC, he was giving her cousin his best murder glare so he didn't make her top ten list of super heroes. “Hi, nice to see you again.”

He smirked slightly, recognising the lie for what it was, and then turned back to Peter. “Tony’s waiting for us outside.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I’d better head out as well, see if I can find my folks. Dad’s arranged for us to go on a helicopter tour of Mount St Helens this afternoon so we’ll have to head up there soon.”

“Wow, really? We did one of those and it was so cool!” Peter told her enthusiastically.

“That’s great, I’m sure I’ll love it if you did too.”

They left the shop and Peter had to force himself not to hurry over to Tony and to act casual. He re-introduced Liz to the genius and listened as they made small talk, wishing that his school friend would just fuck off. As much as he liked Liz - and he _did_ like her, despite the time she’d tried to set him up with Brad - he just really wanted to be alone with his partners. Running into someone he knew, here of all places, had made him nervous and he just wanted to escape to the safety and isolation of the cabin.

Finally they ran out of polite small talk and Peter began to say goodbye to Liz, telling her that they’d catch up at school, when someone interrupted them.

“Lizzy, there you are. I see you’ve made some friends.” The man was tall, with a receding hairline and keen blue eyes that seemed to unravel Peter as he assessed him, leaving him feeling like he didn't measure up somehow.

“Daddy! This is Peter from school, we do decathlon together. Um, this is Mr Barnes and this is -”

“Tony Stark,” Liz’s father said, cutting her off and giving the genius a piercing stare. “We’ve met.”

The air seemed to crackle with electricity as Tony reached out and offered his hand to the man, along with his best media smile. “Well if it isn’t Adrian Toomes. Fancy seeing you here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I try to keep author notes to a minimum unless they're really needed (since I know they can be annoying as fuck) but I just wanted to say thanks for your ongoing support. I've had some anti-bullshit that has followed me over from Tumblr and after being stupid but just pushed too far, I actually engaged with them and gave them what for. I came to my senses this morning and deleted their comment and reply (marked them as spam actually) but if it continues, I might need to set comment moderation to on.  
> I know this can deter regular readers from commenting so I hope it doesn't come to that - hopefully they'll piss off for good now. Anyway, thank YOU for being awesome, you guys keep me going when it sometimes feels like the hate and abuse we get from antis is just too much trouble to make it worthwhile. So long as you want more of these boys, I'll keep writing them. So thanks from the bottom of my heart x


	16. Playtime Is Over

When Tony turned around, the last person he had expected to see in Westlake of all places was Adrian Toomes. He hadn’t seen him in years, since the Stark Industry lawyers finally ran him off after the United States Department of Damage Control had taken over the cleanup of the mess left from Loki’s attack on New York. Tony had initially felt bad for the guy - he’d overextended himself when taking on the job and when it had been deemed too dangerous for civilians to be cleaning up alien tech, his company had folded. The man had been vocal about the injustice of it all, securing meetings with the higher ups in both Damage Control and SI, even managing to wrangle a meeting with Pepper. It was only when he continued to argue, even after he’d been shown the scientific data on how easily someone could be killed moving around the debris from the Chitauri invasion, that they’d finally threatened him with a restraining order. Pepper had vetoed Tony’s suggestion to pay the man a small sum to try to make up some of his losses, and Anne Marie Hoag had backed her, not at all sympathetic to the businessman’s plight.

The last Tony had seen of the man, he was looking worse for wear, desperate, and completely broke. It was a far cry from how he appeared now. Sure, a lot could change in almost seven years, but unless the man had won the lottery, Tony doubted Toomes’ luck could have changed that drastically, _legally_. He was dressed casually in khakis and a button down but Tony knew fashion and he could spot a brand name a mile away. His daughter and the woman he assumed was his wife were also dressed well - maybe not in designer labels, but not something you’d find in Target anyway. A glance to the bags the woman was carrying proved that they’d been shopping in the more expensive stores in town, and Liz was babbling on about their vacation, which definitely wouldn’t be on the cards if he was still a struggling business owner on the verge of bankruptcy.

Without Friday available to him, Tony couldn’t indulge in his suspicions right away, so he plastered on a smile and held out a hand to him. “Well if it isn’t Adrian Toomes. Fancy seeing you here.”

“Yeah, funny that, the people you run into,” Toomes replied, showing a hint of teeth and squeezing Tony’s hand painfully.

“Daddy! You never said you knew Mr Stark!” Liz said, playfully whacking him on the arm.

Toomes pulled the girl to him in a one-armed hug. “Business acquaintances from long back,” he said airily, but he shot Tony a look that made it clear that he didn’t want to go into details in front of his family.

Years of fighting aliens, monsters, and bad guys had honed Tony’s instinct for danger and he _knew_ that now was not the time to bring up Toomes’ financial troubles. Instead, he smiled again, not caring that the man would spot the insincerity in it and said, “Enjoying a nice family vacation, huh?”

“We sure are,” Toomes replied, his smile like a viper’s. “What about yourself, Stark? Here for a little...fun?” His eyes flickered to Bucky and Peter, eying them up and down.

Tony internally bristled at the accusation, even if it were technically true, but kept his cool as he said, “It’s a bit of a retreat we’re on, actually. Peter has done some exceptional work as part of his internship and his reward was coming away for some R&R with several of the Avengers.” He glanced over to Bucky. “Speaking of the others, have you seen Vis anywhere?”

Bucky immediately caught on and casually replied, “I _think_ he’s at the diner but you know how he likes to play with his appearance when he’s tryin to be incognito.”

“So true. The red hair yesterday was a shocker. You never know _what_ he’ll look like today.” He turned back to Toomes and his family. “Well, we really should be off - don’t want to keep the rest of our party waiting.”

“Of course,” Toomes said, perfectly pleasantly but there was a hidden edge to his voice. “We have a helicopter tour to get to so we’d best be going as well.”

“Right, well, enjoy.”

“I’ll, uh, see you in school,” Peter said to Liz, giving her a small wave before Tony was hustling him out of there.

Toomes stood where he was, watching them leave and as Tony looked back just before they rounded the corner, he snapped out a salute, before he lead his family away. Putting a hand to the small of Peter’s back, he hurried them down the street and towards the truck.

“I thought Bucky wanted to eat at the diner?” Peter said, confused.

“Yeah, change of plans,” Tony told him, needing to get his partners back and _safesafesafe_. The encounter had left him on edge, the bitter taste of danger on the back of his tongue and he needed to get them all somewhere secure.

Bucky seemed to have picked up on the vibe as well. He opened the door and gestured for the teen to jump in. “I’m happy to have lunch at the cabin,” he assured their young lover. “Come on, I think Tony just wants some alone time with us.” Peter climbed in and Bucky met the genius’ eyes over the roof of the truck and raised a brow in a silent question: _Is there any immediate danger?_ His stormy blue eyes roamed the surrounding area, analysing for threats.

Tony shook his head: _I don’t think so._

Bucky considered this and then nodded: _We’ll talk more later_.

They got into the cab and Tony maneuvered through the busy streets, dodging the tourists making the most of the late summer weather, heading back to the highway. They were all quiet, even Peter, the teen having picked up that something was wrong. After the production Tony had made over having information kept from him, he’d not have been surprised if Peter had demanded he be told what was going on immediately, but he seemed content to wait until they were home.

The tension riding Tony’s shoulders didn't ease until they were making their way up the drive, towards the security of their sanctuary. Even without Friday, the property had state of the art security, and Tony made a mental note to activate even more of the dormant commands. He’d not wanted them to have to worry about tripping alarms by accident whilst on vacation, but perhaps it was best to be safe than sorry for now. Toomes was a man who could hold a grudge and whatever he was up to to be sitting pretty financially was more than likely criminal in nature, which never boded well for the resident superheroes.

As soon as they were inside, Tony locked the door, feeling validated by his caution when Bucky immediately crossed to the rear windows and shut the blinds, cutting off the bright sunshine streaming through the windows. The super soldier then gestured for them to stay where they were and methodically cleared the cabin, room by room. As agitated as he was, Tony couldn’t help but appreciate how fucking sexy Bucky was at that very point in time. The way he moved, silent as a cat and just as graceful, powerful thighs propelling him down the hallway in what his partners called his ‘murder strut’. In that moment he seemed ruthless in his desire to protect them, and Tony felt a twinge of pity for anyone who got in his way. The ex-assain would tear them apart limb from limb and that thought shouldn't have been so arousing. A small squeak from beside him drew his attention, and Tony looked over to see that Peter was just as affected. His cheeks were tinged with colour and he absently reached down to adjust himself in his jeans.

Bucky returned, giving them a small smile. “All clear.”

“Um, clear from _what_ exactly?” Peter asked. “Are we in danger?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Bucky admitted. “Why don’t I make us some lunch and then while we eat, Tony can explain?”

They agreed to the suggestion and Bucky quickly whipped them up some peanut butter sandwiches, handing then out sans plates since it was such a simple meal. They gathered in the sunken lounge and Tony was pleased that Bucky took the other end of the couch so Peter was wedged between them. He might have been the strongest of the three of them but he was the least experienced and Tony _needed_ to keep him safe. There may not have been any immediate danger but his anxiety didn't know that and it was somewhat soothed by seeing the teen bracketed by the older men.

“So what the hell is going on?” Peter asked between a mouthful of bread. “Is this something to do with Liz’s dad? You know him, yeah?”

Sweet and innocent he may be, but Peter was also a genius so it wasn’t any surprise that he’d put two and two together. “Yeah, this is about Toomes,” Tony confirmed.

“What’s the story with him?” Bucky asked. “He set off my warning bells but I’m not sure why.”

Tony explained about the fiasco after the Battle of New York and how Toomes was essentially shafted. “It was a shitty situation,” he admitted, “but ultimately we couldn’t have untrained personnel handling potentially lethal Chitauri weapons and tech. Damage Control had been under Shield’s umbrella but when they disintegrated, SI entered a joint venture with the government to take over the organisation. It wasn’t handled well, but at the time we were prioritising safety over fostering healthy business relationships. Toomes was left with literally nothing and I gotta say, it’s got my hackles up, seeing him today. Something _isn’t right_.”

“How long had he been working on the clean up before things changed?” Peter asked.

“A couple of days, I think.”

“Do you remember those energy staffs that the Chitauri fought with during the Battle of New York?” the teen asked.

“No, I was too busy having my hair done that day,” Tony said sarcastically. “Of _course_ I remember them, Petey, since I was busy making sure none of them took out the team.”

Peter just gave him a level look. “I saw the footage on the news, Tony. They shot _purple_ beams.”

“Oh? _Oh!_ ”

Bucky ruffled Peter’s hair. “That’s my boy.”

Peter gave him a derisive look which was softened by the kiss he pecked to the soldier’s cheek before he turned back to the genius. “So, it can’t be a coincidence, can it? Liz’s dad is hired to salvage debris from the Chitauri invasion, who are known for their purple energy weapons, and suddenly we run into him the day _after_ we see the same purple light here? When the only time I’ve seen it before was back in New York, during the school term when Liz was definitely in the city so the chances are that her dad was too?”

“It fits,” Tony said, piecing it all together in his mind. “It was chaos after the battle, even during the following week when the cleanup was well under way. I wouldn’t have put it past Toomes to sneak out a load or two of the salvage. The fact that he’s now rolling in it? Last I checked, black market energy weapons sell for a pretty penny.”

“Okay, so, we’re pretty sure this guy is a dodgy arms dealer,” Bucky said, “but what are we going to do about it?”

Tony chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about it. “I’ll speak to Rhodey, let him know what we know, or at least suspect. Technically we won’t have to get Council approval since it’s within the States so doesn't fall under the Accords, but he’ll want to keep them appraised in case we discover it has international bearing. If it was just regular weapons, I’d think alerting the feds would suffice but if Toomes really had managed to reverse engineer weapons from Chitauri energy cores? Well, I don’t like the thought of anyone but us handling it. With the guy distracted by a family vacation, at least we know that he won’t be on alert. The sooner we start investigations, the sooner we might get a jump on him.”

“So that means…?” Peter began, his face falling.

“Yeah, baby, I’m sorry. Playtime is over. It's time to get back to work - we gotta head back to New York.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to finish this on a fluffy note like how it began so we'll have one more chapter with the boys enjoying their final night at the cabin. 
> 
> Also, with the whole non-Homecoming compliant thing, I'm not sure if you realised but Liz is the same age as Peter here, not older :)


	17. One Last Hurrah

Bucky couldn’t help the sigh that escaped him as he emptied the contents of one of the drawers back into his suitcase. They would be heading back to New York in the morning, and although he knew how important it was to get on top of the investigation into Toomes and the energy weapons, he really didn't want to go back so soon. It was only three days early, but he wasn’t mentally prepared as yet to face the real world again. Not only had he been looking forward to going hiking and canoeing again, but he’d hoped that Tony and Peter would have some more time to get over the argument they’d had. Yes, they’d apologised and made up but a little time alone without the threat of being discovered would have done them a world of good. He hoped that the few precious hours that they had left would be enough.

Tony came into the bedroom, looking equally as glum, and threw his phone oton the bed. Peter followed him in and absently squeezed his waist as he walked past him to get to his own case, already packed and ready to go the next day. “They were disappointed but understood when I explained something’s come up,” Tony said, looking dejected. “Ted said that they might be coming over to New York in a few months for a wedding so we can catch up with them then if they do.”

“Might?” Bucky asked, one eyebrow raised. Even back in the 40’s people usually knew well in advance if a wedding was going ahead or not.

“To quote Lizzy, ‘ _If the little twerp keeps his dick in his pants long enough to hold onto that girl we’ll be in New York_ ’. It’s their grandson and I’m assuming it’s been a rocky relationship.”

The soldier chuckled as he searched for the missing sock to form a pair. “Man, I’m gonna miss Lizzy. She’s a character alright.” He hadn’t told the others that he had their phone number and email addresses tucked away but figured he could surprise his partners with a call to the elderly couple one night.

“Yeah, she really is,” Tony agreed.

“I was really looking forward to making her dinner,” Peter said sadly. Suddenly his eyes lit up as an idea occurred to him and he whipped out his phone. A minute later he made a small sound of triumph and tucked the device away. “Found her on Facebook,” he explained. “I’ve sent her a friend request.”

Tony laughed. “I think she’d love that. It’s times like this that I kinda wish I had an account.”

Peter huffed. “I told you - make one under a false name. You’d only have to add those of us who would know so you wouldn’t get stalked by crazy fans.”

“Eh, call me old fashioned but I kinda like people finding out what I’m having for lunch in the traditional way.”

“Oh, how’s that?” Bucky teased. “Page four of the newspaper?” Peter had helped him set up an account of his own and although he only had the teen, Zee, and a few other friends from Wakanda on it, he still marveled at how easy it made it to stay in touch.

The genius winked. “Don’t you know it, babe.”

“Right,” Bucky said, closing the case. “I think I’m as packed as I can be until we actually leave.”

Peter came and sat next to him and leaned his head against his shoulder. “I don’t wanna go,” he said sadly.

Bucky wrapped an arm around him and hugged him to his side. “Neither do I, doll. Guess that’s the life of an Avenger though.”

“Sorry,” Tony said, slumping down on the other side of the teen. “I just think it’s too important to leave.”

“I know, Tony, and I agree,” Peter assured him. “Doesn’t mean I wish it weren’t otherwise though.”

“Hey, at least we got ten days,” Bucky said cheerfully, trying to brighten the mood. “We’re kinda lucky that some disaster that needed us back there didn’t happen after our first day here.”

Peter gave him a wan smile, showing that he appreciated that he was trying, but he was clearly still feeling down in the dumps.

“Right, so what do we want to do tonight?” Bucky asked them.

“I don’t mind,” Tony said. “I’m up for whatever you two want to do.”

Peter just shrugged, his head lolling to the other side to lean on Tony’s shoulder.

Bucky hated seeing his partners so apathetic, even if he understood the feeling as he shared their depression over their vacation coming to an end. It was time for drastic measures. “Okay, so this is what I propose. We’ve still got that frozen pizza that needs to be cooked so that’s going to be our dinner. Then, we’re going to camp out in front of the T.V. to watch a movie or whatever takes our fancy, and while we do that, we’re going to finish off all of the copious amounts of junk food that we still have left over.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “A binge night?”

“Yes, sweetheart, a binge night. I’m going to make us eat every single bar of chocolate and bag of potato chips that you and Peter bought that first day. We’ll probably all regret it in the morning, but at least we won’t have to take it home with us.”

“Okay, but what will we do till then?” Peter asked. “It’s not even four o’clock yet.”

At this, Bucky grinned mischievously. “Well, I figured that before we upset our tummies with all that junk food, we may as well have a little fun first while we can.”

“Huh?” Peter said, but then his eyes widened as he understood. “Oh, oh right! Because of po -”

Tony smacked a palm over his mouth before he could finish. “Yes, Petey, because of that, but no one in polite circles speaks of that stuff.”

The teen rolled his eyes and then licked Tony’s hand, causing the man to grimace and pull away. “Gross, baby.”

“Just proof that we’re _not_ part of a polite circle,” Peter quipped.

“I still don’t want to hear about poop.”

“And apparently _I’m_ the adolescent?”

“It’s the principle of the matter,” the genius said, sniffing haughtily.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Bucky said, standing up and stripping off his shirt. “Are you two going to continue debating about bodily functions, or are you going to get naked?”

They were on their feet and undressing in a flash.

Once they were all naked, Bucky took a moment to admire his lovers, never quite able to comprehend how he’d gotten so damn lucky. He had to reach out and touch, just to be sure that they were both real, that this past nine months hadn’t been a figment of his imagination, and fuck, had it only been _nine months_? Some days it felt like an eternity. How was it possible that they’d experienced so much, had fallen so deeply in love, and not even a year had passed yet? The cool metal of his thumb rolled over one of Tony’s nipples, dragging a moan from the man and instantly Bucky’s mind was back in the room and on the present. He smirked as an idea came to  mind, one that he was sure they’d all enjoy.

“Doll, I want you up on the bed on your hands and knees,” Bucky told Peter, “and Tony I want you on _your_ hands and knees behind him.”

Tony arched a brow but stayed where he was, even as Peter scrambled onto the bed. “Is someone feeling bossy?”

“Did I fucking stutter, Tony? Do you want me to finger you with this -” he held up his metal hand, “ - or not?”

Tony gulped, his pupils dilating so fast that if a doctor was in the room, they’d likely be concerned. “Why didn't you say so? I’m going, I’m going!” He jumped up onto the bed, landing on all fours and bouncing Peter a little, who wriggled his arse in Tony’s face, who in turn nipped at one of his cheeks. “So, Bossman, what are your instructions?” Tony then asked, looking over his shoulder innocently at the soldier.

Bucky rolled his eyes and fell to his knees on the floor at the foot of the bed, conveniently putting Tony’s perky arse in front of his face. He trailed a finger down between the cheeks teasingly as he replied, “While I get your prostate all worked up, I want you to eat out Peter, get him nice and wet. Then, I’m gonna fuck you, while you fuck him.” Twin moans met this announcement. “I take it that sounds good to both of you?”

“You damn well know it does,” Tony fired back, “so quit yakking and get started already!”

“You keep being cheeky like this, sugar, and I’ll hogtie you to the bed and make you watch me and Pete have some fun without you.”

Tony gasped in horror. “ _You wouldn’t!_ ”

“You know I would, so why don’t _you_ quit your yakking and put that mouth to use eating our boy out?”

“Yeah, Tony, shut the fuck up and lick me already,” Peter whined, wriggling his butt once more.

Bucky waited while Tony bent to his task, wanting to make sure that Peter had a few moments of pleasure before the genius got slightly distracted, running his metal hand teasingly over Tony’s flank while he groped for the bottle of lube with his flesh hand. If the sight of Tony’s tongue swirling around the teen’s puckered entrance before dipping inside just a little made _Bucky_ distracted, well, no one would ever know. It was actually several minutes later that he finally got his fingers lubed up and when he circled Tony’s hole, it was accompanied by the sweetest gasps and moans from Peter. If this wasn’t heaven, he had no idea what could be.

No matter how much he tried, Bucky could never quite get the metal of his hand actually warm and so the first time he pushed inside always caused Tony to yelp a little. Bucky gave him a playful slap on the arse and pushed further in, and Tony stopped fidgeting as he grew accustomed to the temperature. The good thing about a vibranium hand was that there were no finger nails, no rough patches of skin, and the superior craftsmanship meant that the myriad joints and hinges were so fine that there was no chance of delicate skin getting caught. It made fingering his lovers just that little bit easier and very soon he was as deep as he could go. He always stuck to just his middle digit when fingering his partners - having only one inside made it much easier to control the movements, and the extra length of the middle one made it possible to reach that little bundle of nerves. It had taken him a while to find it with any sort of precision but like the sniper that he was, once he'd found his target, he never failed to locate it again.

Tony had always been the most sensitive of the three so it was only a few minutes later that he was rocking back, fucking himself on Bucky’s hand, seeking more. His mouth was busy but a constant stream of needy little whines escaped his throat, mixing with the ones that Peter was making to form their own sweet symphony. Bucky was as hard as rock but me mustered up some patience, wanting the others to have more time to build their pleasure before they began fucking one another.

Of course, patience wasn’t _everyone’s_ virtue. Peter started first, begging for more, and soon Tony was pulling back, gasping out his own pleas to be filled. Taking pity on them, the soldier let his finger slip free and he quickly lubed his cock up before handing the bottle to Tony. Tony slicked up himself and Peter’s entrance and then reached around to run his coated hand up and down Peter’s length a few times. Once they were all ready, Bucky waited as Tony lined himself up and pushed slowly into the teen, and once he was fully seated, the pair stilled so Bucky could sink inside of Tony.

“Holy fucking shit, I always forget how fucking good this is,” Tony cried once they were all in position.

“God, please, Tony, move, please,” Peter whined, kneeling up and taking a firm hold of the headboard.

The first time they’d ever done this, it had taken them quite a while to find a rhythm, and before they had, they were in fits of laughter over how ridiculous it was, but now they were experts at it and they immediately began moving in synch. Bucky couldn't keep his eyes off the sight in front of him, and he was positive that he had the best seat in the house. Watching Tony slide down his cock only to bury himself deep inside of Peter was mesmerising, and he couldn’t look away.

The afternoon was warm and soon their skin began to bead with sweat, causing the sounds their bodies made as they slapped together to be even more arousing. Bucky splayed his flesh hand over Tony’s back, sliding his hand down along the length of his spine, while the metal hand gripped tight to his hip, using the leverage to pull him down sharply onto his cock. The genius had reached around and was jerking Peter off in time to his thrusts, a glorious counterpoint to the movements that Bucky and Tony were making. They were all silent, save for the odd gasp or whine and their laboured breathing, which sounded loud in the quiet room. A bird chirped outside the window, reminding them that this would be their last time making love in the cabin, and Bucky felt his throat grow tight at the thought. He bit his lip, trying to hold back his emotion at their time alone together coming to an end but it didn’t stop his eyes from welling over, sending two tears cascading over his cheeks.

Tony’s hips began to stutter and he pulled Peter flush against his pelvis, crying out as he filled him with his release, and the contracting of his muscles was enough to bring Bucky to completion as well. As he thrust into Tony, wringing out his pleasure to overide his sadness, the genius sucked Peter’s earlobe into his mouth as he palmed the teen’s cock, knowing that the sensitive erogenous zone was a surefire way to make him come.

And come he did.

Peter shouted as he orgasmed, spurting thick ropes of come not only over his chest but also over the headboard. Bucky could feel him shuddering and convulsing even from there and he reached around Tony to run a soothing hand down his side. They stayed joined like that for a long moment, breathing hard and just enjoying the aftershocks, before beginning to disentangle themselves and start the process of cleaning up.

“I think I’m gonna need a shower,” Peter said as he used a handful of tissues to wipe the wood clean of his mess.

“Mmm, a shower sounds good,” Tony agreed. “I’m sticky and leaking.”

“Oh, so we’re allowed to talk about come dripping from your butt but not poop?” Peter asked, his lips pressed together to suppress his grin.

Tony stuck out his tongue, not falling for the bait and pulled their young lover off the bed. “Come on, let’s go shower so we can start binging on our junk food. Come on, Bucky, up you get.”

Bucky had slumped down on a pillow and groaned at the thought of getting up now that he was comfortable but he also would never pass up the opportunity to shower with the two men, and so he dragged himself from the bed and followed them through to the bathroom. Tony and Peter teased and joked as they waited for the water to heat up, and the soldier smiled fondly, so happy that the two seemed to be completely back to normal after their fight. Everything seemed right with the world and no matter what they faced when they got back home to New York, he knew that he would always cherish his memories of their time here at the cabin. It maybe have been brief, but it had been wonderful.

“Come on, babe, water’s hot,” Tony told him, holding out a hand.

Bucky reached out and took it, and Peter’s arms slipped around his waist, and he kissed both of them, whispering, “Love you,” and then he closed his eyes, and let the warm water wash over his sticky skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for your support during this fic - it's been a bit hard with the anti hate but they won't stop me :)  
> The next fic is going to be a long one and I have some surprises up my sleeve for you - I'm hoping it'll be one of the most exciting installments yet. Eeeep! Can't wait to get started on it and to share it with you all. Much love, I couldn't do this without you guys xxx


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